Gundam SEED Eternity
by Vaxercon
Summary: Twenty years of peace are shattered after the arrival of new Extendeds from the Earth Alliance, who every day produce more new weapons in the war against Co-Ordinators. It is up to Carrus Yamato to end the war once and for all.
1. Prologue

**_A note from the Author_**

Hey guys. And welcome to the sequel to Carrus' beginning. This is where the story takes place, and is where the majority of the story will be written. This is the story that the RT RP is also based on, so before I take credit, I would like to add that RT users Supreme_King (AKA: CyberSlayer128 on this site, who's essentially my partner on this story), Zhanex, Weisstrenden and BigSinFilms are also responsible for the storyline and plot, I'm just responsible for taking the jumble known as the forum, and putting it into a readable format for all of you. ;-)

Here will be characters from the fic, and many more to be added, and as usual, I'll be adding _**M.N**_'s for your listening pleasure.

So don't forget to R&R, and I look forward to those friendly comments and suggestions!

~Vaxercon

* * *

_**Gundam ****SEED Eternity**_

**Prologue**

The Chairman leaped backwards into his leather office chair, not a care in the world crossed his mind. The only light in his office was given off by a screensaver of dancing Haro's on his computer. His thoughts filled again and again with strategies and random thoughts. His mind was far more complex than any other person, and his actions reflected his actions. He drew from his desk, a rubber ball, then tossing it, back and forth into the wall opposite his desk, humming to an old Lacus Clyne tune. His eyes crossed to the map behind his desk, as his attention changed quickly.

"So we managed to take control of China." Adrian smiled catching the ball and sliding it into his pocket. In another random act, he leaped off the table, landing onto the marble floors, fixing his hat on top of his shortened green hair. "That gives us a lot more space to land soldiers and supplies for our soldiers." Leaping back into to his chair, he flicked his mouse, and typed in his password. It was then, his computer replied, with the message he had heard a hundred times before.

"Good evening Chairman Viper."

"Command, open references EA four, seven… and 13, my lucky number."

"Yes Adrian." The computer replied, opening several text and spreadsheet files, each one Viper analyzed in a second, his Co-Ordinators brain arranging the data and analysing it within his mind.

"The EA has been giving us a hard time with some more of those Extended soldiers like the prior wars...starting to bug me..." Adrian sat staring at his flickering screen for a few moments. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up, made his way to his side cabinet, and poured himself a drink of orange juice from his cabinet, when a sudden thought crossed his mind, as if something urgent went through his mind, he leaped back into his chair. "Maybe I should update my Twitter..." Adrian thought leaning back in his seat, sniggering at what delights the internet held for him.


	2. War Renewed

**Chapter One: War Renewed**

**_(Opening: Believe, Nami Tamaki)_**

"Too slow!" Auel laughed piercing his Gundam's spear through a Geara Zulu before using the force of his spear to throw it aside into a second one and knocking into the water before advancing and impaling the cockpit, "I'm the perfect Extended you fools!" Auel laughed back away before the two units exploded. His Abyss raced through the water, as it approached the heavily re-fortified base, when three Flags dove down above him, Auel dove, and quickly rose, leaping into the air, he fired his Scylla cannon, causing the first to explode, followed by the Abyss spinning its pike around, slicing the last two in half. Auel laughed maniacally, his actions seemed to turn the fate of the battle in favour of the Earth Alliance.

Suddenly, a red beam fired, grabbing Auel's attention, he closed his fins, which deflected the beam. "What the hell?" Auel's eyes narrowed, at the sight of a new type of Flag, one that flew straight at him. "Is that another new unit type?" Auel asked himself backing away to evade another volley of rounds being fired at him. "Eat this!" Auel screamed as his Gundam's fins opened and fired six green beams from its now opened fins at the suit. But the pilot reacted quickly, evading at the last possible second, when four GN Flags behind the blue unit were hit and blown to pieces. "How did he dodge that!" Auel yelled grunting as the blue Mobile Suit dove into his, foot first, kicking it in the face. "Then try some of THIS!" Auel roared, as his central cannon fired again, when the Flag doubled back, and flew forward, giving Auel time to close his fins as the Flag collided with his.

Inside, the pilot struggled, as his ember eyes burned with frustration, Setsuna cursed his luck. "That was too close… These new model suits are getting out of control." Setsuna forced the Flag upward, sword drawn, charging toward Abyss who swapped his spear out for his beam scythe. "Setsuna F. Seiei, GN Flag II… dispatching target!" Setsuna yelled swinging his sword which collided with the beam scythe and produced a field of lightning from both colliding weapons around the suits.

"I admit that you're good!" Auel growled pushing his weapon tighter against the rifle sword. "Now DIE you vermin!" Auel yelled finally pushing the GN Flag II away from him, "Time to...die?" Auel said at first full of energy but his voice called down seeing that the GN Flag II was out of sight. "What the hell?" Auel asked glancing around checking his radar, "Where did he go?" Auel asked himself just before him Gundam shook from a sudden blast from behind, "Damn it not that thing!" Auel cursed, seeing a ZAFT Kshatriya with its funnels reattaching to itself. "This is not good, all units fall back!" Auel yelled dodging a beam sabre slash from the Kshatriya before Abyss returned into the water, its humanoid form settling within its fins and jetted off into the distance as Jegans and Enacts also began to retreat firing behind them while they covered their transport ships.

"Commander Seiei all enemy forces have retreated from the area" The pilot of the Kshatriya reported to Setsuna's Flag II which hovered over the remains of enemy ships that had washed up on shore during all the fighting, "What should we do sir?" the pilot asked.

"Have all advanced units and special ops teams fall back to base to resupply and rest in case of another attack may arise." Setsuna responded seeing several destroyed Jegans and Enacts just below him, Setsuna noticed one Enact was moving its right arm slowly dragging itself from the rest of the dead mobile suits, "Pathetic." Setsuna thought just before the waist rifles of his machine fired and tore the Enact apart. Setsuna glanced over to see many ZAFT forces began to shrink in size as they returned to base while Flag units continued to scout the air and Geara Zulu units patrolled the beaches and nearby forests.

Setsuna landed in the shallows of the water, and opened the hatch. Stepping outside the Flag, Setsuna removed his unique helmet that was shaped like a regular ZAFT forces helmet, but was flat at the top, instead of a bulge and bearing a green curved triangle in the forehead. Setsuna felt the wind rush through his hair, as he watched the blackened ocean below, polluted by oil and fuel used by the Earth Alliance. "This world never changes…" Setsuna whispered.

* * *

Carrus snapped his eyes open, almost alerted by a strange presence in the distance. His brown hair waved in the silent breeze. He rubbed his face with the palm of his face, haunted by the words the ZAFT officer, Setsuna F Seiei said to him during their last encounter.

"_For that, I apologize for sending you down this path of violence and war."_ _"You could come with me to ZAFT…" "I always admired his work when he and Lacus Clyne guided the Plants for three electoral terms." "I hope we don't meet on the battle field again."_

"Damn… way to haunt my thoughts…" It was three months since the raid on Morgenroete. Since then, Carrus watched as Orb signed trade agreements with the Plants, Truces, and troop assignments. He was glad that it looked like Orb were becoming allies with the Plants, as it lessened the chances of him having to fight Setsuna again. But there was another voice in his mind that tormented him, that of his father's.

Kira Yamato, a hero within the Earth Sphere, was the one to defeat Rau Le Crueset, defeat the Legend Gundam, and bring an end to the fabled "Destiny plan" put forward by ZAFT Supreme Chairman, Gilbert Durandal. It was for the reason that Kira tried so hard to lead a normal life for so long that Carrus had hated about him, but since his acquiring the Eternal Freedom Gundam, Carrus became unsure of his thoughts, usually separating himself from all company. Except one person.

"CARRUS!" Carrus turned his head, to see his girlfriend, Mayu Hawke leap beside him, sitting down, as she dangled her legs over the cliff that Carrus sat over.

"Careful! This cliff's been pretty slippery!"

"So why are YOU here goofball?" Mayu answered, knocking Carrus' head with a light bump from her fist.

"Ow. STOP IT." Mayu giggled lightly at Carrus' serious attitude. "Seriously, did you have a reason for being here?"

"Oh don't be so cold..." Mayu smiled, hugging Carrus lightly.

"It's only because the chief's gonna yell at you for ditching maintenance again..."

"Well Kat said I could take off. So there!" Mayu snarkly answered, poking her tongue at Carrus.

"Smarty pants..."

"You love me for it!" Mayu smiled, as Carrus fell silent. He never thought too hard about that, did he love Mayu? It seemed too early to understand if what he felt was love. He had only just kissed her three months ago, and since then, the pair had become emotionally attached to one another, but he had no idea as to whether or not he could call it love. "What are you thinking about?" Mayu asked, her head tilted in curiosity.

Carrus chuckled, wrapping his arms around Mayu's waist, and kissing her cheek. Silently he whispered in Mayu's ear. "You of course…"

Mayu blushed at this thought, she felt safe and secure with Carrus. Why wouldn't she? She was given a Gundam by Athrun, but she always seemed to end up getting saved by Carrus on the battlefield, beginning with the moment where Carrus dragged her into the Strike, while being chased by the Earth Alliance. Mayu had always known she could be naïve, but she knew that she was in love with Carrus. She hugged Carrus lightly, when her cell phone began to ring, as did Carrus'. The pair looked at each other, blinking, they flipped open their cell phones and answered at the same time, when Athrun's voice answered before they could speak.

"Stop making out and get back to base." The pair jolted and blushed at Athrun's answer. "We've got some developments happening and I need you two here."

* * *

Placing down the phone, Athrun closed his eyes, chuckling to himself over his call. He knew he was probably right about what they were doing, after all, in his youth he was known to sweep Cagalli away, and the pair ended up alone in Cagalli's mansion. Athrun took a moment to close his eyes, as he contemplated his thoughts over the past three months, in which he remembered a moment where Kira had arrived out of the blue, before the war had come to Orb, and before Carrus stepped into the Freedom.

* * *

_Athrun was shocked, he looked at Kira in awe, who had not aged at all, his face unchanged for twenty years. Although Kira had grown out his hair a little more, he was essentially still the same eighteen years old he always was. "Kira…? What… what happened to you?"_

"_I'm sorry Athrun… but I had to see you as soon as I could… Cagalli has enough on her…"_

"_That's not what I mean! We haven't seen each other since Lacus took office in the Plants, but you, you look young! How?"_

"_Oh… yes, I'm afraid that's something I'm trying to find out… I think it has something to do with my being the 'Ultimate Coordinator'…" Kira turned away, unable to face Athrun, who had clearly aged. His once youthful vigour had faded, and long locks of hair were cut down to just above his ears, giving him a more military look. "Athrun… This war is going to spiral out of control again… and there are rumours that humanity IS indeed evolving."_

"_Wait, Kira, what are you saying?"_

"_That I'm going again." Kira answered, turning, his face filled with his famous determination. "I'm returning to the Eternal, and I want you to come with me."_

_Athrun's face went pale. He had practically fainted, but had managed to sit down before his knees buckled. "Kira… I can't… What you're asking… and what I have to do… I know this sounds like when I was a FAITH agent for Durandal, but Orb needs me… Cagalli… needs…"_

"_I understand…" Kira smiled, as Athrun looked up. "At least you're more understanding than Shinn is…"_

"_How hard did he hit you?" Athrun chuckled._

_Kira rubbed the side of his face. "Really damn hard…"_

* * *

"Athrun?" Athrun opened his eyes at the sound of a knock on his door. "You there?"

"Heellllooo…" Mayu called as she opened the door.

"Mmm… hello Mayu… is Carrus?"

"Yeah…" Carrus responded, as he opened the door further.

"Glad the two of you took time out of your busy schedules…" Athrun growled, his eyes glazed over Carrus and Mayu, both of whom began to blush.

Carrus scratched at his face, chuckling. "Yeeeaaahhh, we WERE kind of finished with our duties…" Carrus was alerted when another knock on the door sounded, and Carrus opened the door to reveal a tall, thin man, with violet eyes and scruffy black hair. "General Zala, you called?" The man responded.

"Ah Lawrence, good of you to come. Carrus, Mayu, meet Lawrence Lamperouge, another one of your fellow pilots.

"Oh! Hello!" Mayu giggled, waving at Lawrence"

Carrus blinked, unsure of whom this man was. "Uhm… hey."

"Pleasure to meet you." Lawrence smiled, kissing Mayu on the hand, who swooned at this man, Carrus glared at him in jealousy. "I look forward to working with the pair of you…"

"Wait, work with us?" Carrus exclaimed.

"That's right." Athrun smiled, as all eyes focused on him. "Carrus, Mayu, Lawrence, I am forming an elite team comprised entirely of Gundam pilots such as yourself, and this team will be led by Lawrence here."

"Wait, what?" Carrus exclaimed, as Mayu slapped him on the arm.

"Carrus!" Mayu whispered, as someone entered the room, a small, somewhat timid young man, with long, neat brown hair and golden eyes. "Oh? Who's this?" Mayu giggled, as the young man looked at her, he blushed and shuffled over to Lawrence.

"Uhm… Lawrence? I finished tuning my tactical arms…"

"Thank you Brandon…" Lawrence smiled. "Everyone, this is Brandon Links, he is my partner and will also be a part of the team." Lawrence stepped aside to let Brandon say a few words, but he shyly stayed behind Lawrence. "Sorry if he's a little shy around everyone..."

"I'm sure there won't be a problem..." Athrun smiled, as the door opened, and a young man, whose eyes shined of a pale silver and white hair walked in, followed by a stunning young woman with grey eyes and navy blue hair.

The man began to announce himself first, popping up a salute to Athrun, who stood up and returned the gesture. "Harute Co-Pilots Lotte..."

"And Kat, reporting in sir." The woman finished, also giving a salute to Athrun, the pair had done the entire manoeuvre as if they had practised this a thousand times previously.

Athrun lowered his arm, and smiled. "Glad to have you two here..." He sat back down, as Mayu cheerfully waved to Kat and Lotte, the pair fixated on Athrun. "Right, I have an assignment for your team Lawrence." Athrun drew a folder from within his desk, and placed it in front of Lawrence. "Not two days ago, we received a tip off from Plant supreme chairman, Adrian Viper, about the possibility of an Earth Alliance attack on Orb." Lawrence opened the folder, handing out the five dossiers to Carrus, Mayu, Brandon, Lotte and Kat. "Needless to say, this one's big, and we're still recovering our fighting strength. Besides the six of you, we only have thirty Murasame pilots, and three Strike Gundams."

"Enemy's fighting strength?" Lawrence asked.

"Unknown, but ZAFT are sending a squadron of their top guns to support us, consisting of six Flags, six of their new mobile suits, the GNX, a Kshatriya and are currently being led by the newly promoted Commander Setsuna F Seiei." Carrus looked up, eyes wide at Athrun's words. "Lotte, Kat, I want the pair of you to meet them in space using the Mobile Suit mass driver and rendezvous with the carrier 'Celestial Being'."

"SIR!" Lotte and Kat saluted, standing up, as Athrun returned the salute, and the pair exited the room.

"And Carrus?"

"Ye...yes Athrun?" Carrus spoke.

"I trust there will be no problems with Setsuna?"

"No, of course not..."

* * *

Auel sighed, as he fell into the couch in the mess, drinking from the straw in his water bottle, the journey into space wore him out, but that's what happened when he was stationed in a drop ship that drops him to the surface of the Earth for every mission. When the door opened, Auel choked, seeing the tall, black haired Raven emerge. Raven was an enigma to all on board, only appearing as an arrogant extended, who piloted a special customised Strike, previously used but maintained so the machine could keep up with Raven, whose abilities surpassed any machine given to him.

"Had your ass kicked by a certain blue Flag, Auel?"

"Shut your damn mouth Raven! You and I both know that the situation was turning worse! And it's all cause of those damn Kshatriyas those ZAFT guys built!"

"Keep telling yourself that..." Raven sneered, as he grabbed a drink.

"Besides, weren't you supposed to be laying a siege to Gibraltar base?" Auel interrupted.

Raven smirked, as he tore into his drink. "Oh, that. The base is conquered."

"What? In one day? What happened to our forces?"

"I killed them."

Auel growled, even though he never cared for the Naturals, he never killed them willingly. "WHAT? Are you insane?"

"They WERE in my way Auel..." Raven sniggered. "So, I killed them, or left 'em to die, and destroyed Gibraltar. Who says you need mobile armour like the Destroy to blow shit up..."

"You're insane..." Auel grimaced.

"Well I'm the one with the permit, so I can get away with it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another mission. Some ZAFT ship is drifting a little close to Earth, if you catch my drift..." Raven gloated, as he left the mess. He headed towards the hanger, where he gazed on his Strike Noir, ready for his next mission.


	3. The Black Gundam

**Chapter Two: The Black Gundam**

The door to Adrian's office opened with a loud click as Setsuna entered, quietly stepping through the large room inside. "Hello Setsuna." Adrian greeted, looking over a small pile of growing paperwork. Setsuna always wondered why the chairman procrastinated like this. "Take a seat I just need to finish this one thing up." Setsuna nodded and sat down in front of the desk looking along the walls, having a close look at the various paintings, all drawn from famous artists from as early as Van Gogh. "Bottle! That's what it was!" Adrian laughed scribbling on his paper until he set aside, Setsuna raised his eyebrow in confusion, wondering what it was that the chairman was trying to accomplish. "Okay crosswords aside, I'll be sending you down to Orb starting tonight Setsuna. I have already given you clearance to have the Qan [T] brought onto your ship so long as it isn't used unless needed." Adrian said leaning back in his chair.

"I understand sir." Setsuna nodded standing up, "Who shall I report to? Is it General Athrun Zala, or Chief Representative Cagalli Yula Autha?"

"Meh, it doesn't matter to me, one or the other." Adrian shrugged spinning his chair around.

"Sir, if I could ask you a question…"

"What about?"

"Just what is our purpose in Orb? Last time we went there under your order, attacked Morgenroete, and lost twenty eight mobile suits, and now you intend for us to protect them? Why?"

"Tell me Setsuna, why is it you insist you don't know the pilot of the Freedom Gundam?"

Setsuna paused, unsure of what to tell the Chairman. "Sir, the pilot is Kira Yam…"

"Kira Yamato has retired Setsuna," Adrian interjected. "He retired after Lacus chose to leave politics for her children, I seriously doubt you're telling me everything…" Setsuna stood up without a word, and saluted the chairman, exiting the room as Adrian's eyes followed his footsteps. "Well, well… What aren't you telling me?"

* * *

Carrus sat in his room, watching as Lotte and Kat took off in the Gundam, Harute, as they were catapulted off the mass driver, heading towards space. Mayu sat across the room, painting her nails, she hummed a quiet tune to herself.

"Hey, Mayu?"

"What is it Carrus?" Mayu replied, batting her eyelids.

"Wha? You're flirty today…"

"I'm always flirty with you silly!" Mayu giggled, trying not to ruin the colour on her nails.

"Well… anyway… do get the feeling that things aren't going quite as we'd hope?"

"What do you mean? There hasn't even been an attack in a month. I mean... sure there's what Athrun was talking about, but at least we KNOW that's coming..."

"That's… not quite I mean… I just get the feeling that something bad could happen… almost as if…"

* * *

Lawrence and Brandon sat within the hangar of their Astrays, as the pair enjoyed a quiet game of chess. Lawrence was trying to teach the game to Brandon, who hoped to get him to his level one day, but Brandon wasn't sure about if he could, as Lawrence's intellect was hard to match.

"Looks like you managed to last 13 moves this time Brandon you've improved a lot." Lawrence commented moving a knight over his flanks.

"… Well you taught me all about planning your moves a few steps ahead , I just can't seem to predict my opponent's moves so far ahead like you." Brandon replied, moving his queen forward, taking one of Lawrence's rooks.

"I always found it easier to do it at chess than it is in real life. After all, you know what kind of people we may end up fighting in the future." Lawrence smiled, as a bishop took Brandon's queen, his plan was coming to fruition.

Brandon grimaced, seeing that bishop was put into check. He moved his king back. "Think we'll last? After all, we'd be better off in ZAFT, they'd have better…"

Lawrence smiled, as he moved one pawn. "Checkmate."

Brandon's eyes widened in shock, not predicting his defeat at the hands of a single pawn. "Damn!"

Lawrence smiled, as he started putting his pieces away. "Remember, we may be what the people are calling Newtypes but we are only human. We're not Co-Ordinators, and we certainly don't possess the SEED…"

Brandon sighed, sighing, he walked towards the door. "Yeah, I know... I just wish were more likely to survive this… if you need me I'll be trying to get more inclined with the N-TD system and being able to fight efficiently after it. You should do the same with the Zero System."

Lawrence sighed, knowing Brandon was right. "Yeah, yeah… I know… but remember last time I used zero last time…"  
"You stopped yourself from destroying the Novas colony. Sooner or later you'll have to use the Wing Zero Lawrence, Orb's future may depend on it…"

"When the day comes that it will be necessary to my plan, I'll tackle it when the time comes. For now, I'm happy using the Red Frame Kai. It saved my life you know…"

Brandon waved his hand, leaving the room. "Yeah… yeah… You've told me more times than I WANT to remember, if you need me I'll be in the Unicorn's hanger…"

Lawrence watched as Brandon left, then booting up his laptop, he opened up a chess program, hoping to improve his skills further.

* * *

Carrus silently closed his eyes, hoping to pass a little time. Mayu rested on his shoulder, spacing her fingers and toes while she lay on his bed. Carrus quietly dreamed, seeing lights and twinkling dots in space, when a dark form seemed to appear, bearing the shape of a Gundam, which slowly absorbed the other beings. Suddenly, a light emerged, the 00 Qan [T] no less. Carrus began to sweat, as his vision continued, he watched helplessly, as the shadow began to swallow the 00. Carrus' eyes burst open, and he surged forward, as Mayu gave a yelp of surprise, she fell on her side.

"HEY! I'm painting my nails Carr…" Mayu began to yell, when Carrus stood up and left. Mayu began to worry. Looking up, she watched as Carrus tidied his uniform up and wandered into the hall without a word.

"_What did that mean?"_ Carrus' thoughts were a jumble, who wandered into the hall, his face clutching his hair, he scratched, scratching again and again to figure out the mystery of his vision. _"What the hell was that?"_ Carrus found himself in front of Athrun's office. He knew Athrun would be one of the few people who could take him seriously. Wandering in, Athrun looked up from his paperwork seeing Carrus look distraught.

"Carrus? Are you all right? Your face is pale…" Athrun worried, he had never seen Carrus like this, but his reactions looked familiar.

"Athrun…" Carrus trembled, his eyes shook as he began to understand the vision. "I think Setsuna could be in danger…"

"In danger? What from?"

"I… I don't know… a Gundam? I think…"

Athrun sighed. "Only one Gundam?"

"Well, maybe…"

"Carrus, its ONE mobile suit against fourteen. The majority of that number are new models., most of which are capable of doing battle against a Destroy Gundam."

"I'm telling you Athrun! I honestly believe it'll happen!"

Athrun turned around, thinking about trusting Carrus, but his head still debating whether it was plausible. "One mobile suit though? Carrus, that sounds ridiculous..."

"Ridiculous or not, the fact is that it will happen! Please, just let me go in the Freedom, at least that way I can get up fast enough!"

"Carrus…"

"I'm telling you, I KNOW it's going to happen! I can't explain it, I can't even justify anything properly… but still… I can't sit back and watch as it happens and I didn't do anything!"

Athrun sighed, his head in his hands, as he contemplated the next step. "...Get going…" Carrus smiled, just about to burst through the door. "But once you get up there, Setsuna is your superior, and you listen to everything Lotte and Kat tell you to do, understood?"

"Yeah! Sure!" Carrus bounded out the door, completely ignoring Athrun's order. This made Athrun chuckle, reminiscing how close he is to Kira.

* * *

Raven strapped into his pilot suit, the black uniform felt good, almost making him invincible, as he floated towards his Strike Noir, the mechanics in the bay fled, knowing that Raven's presence was dangerous. Sliding into the cockpit, he started up the systems of the Strike, preparing him for his mission, when the captain of the ship appeared on the view screen.

"Raven, where are you going?"

"None of your business old man…" Raven sneered, as he turned off his comm systems. He stood on the catapult, knowing the Captain had no choice in letting him go. "Well, see ya jerks…" Raven smiled, as the Strike catapulted into space. He flew out into the distance, headed to Earth, spotting a ZAFT Daemon class carrier in the distance. He chose it as his target, flying out into the open, avoiding the debris field, wanting the enemy to know his presence.

* * *

Setsuna entered the bridge of his ship 'Celestial Being' and stood next to the ship captain, his eyes watched the empty void of space, as their ship drew ever closer to the Earth below. "Be ready to have the ship launch after our crew are fully loaded." Setsuna ordered while he remained hovering in his blue and white flight suit, "I have been told that we will be meeting up with an Orb unit on our way to Orb for an inspection."

"Inspection for what?" The Captain yelled in question surprised by the order.

"It's only for a precaution nothing more. Are the Trident and Elecro ready for launch?" Setsuna asked looking out the front window to see the ZAFT cruiser moving forward as two Lorasia assault cruisers flew beside the Celestial Being.

"Sir out long range scanners have picked something up" An officer below called up, "It seems to be a mobile suit."

"Not a problem, alert our Flag unit to keep an eye out. If it's an EA unit then they take it out understood?" The Captain ordered to the officer.  
"Yes sir!" The officer responded looking to his control console, "Space Flag units one through six we have picked up an unidentified mobile suit incoming. If it appears hostile you are free to engage it."

* * *

Golden visors of the six Flags flash brightly as they look around. Two Flags arm themselves with a bazooka while all the others gather beam rifles.

"Roger sir, we are prepared. Stay on high alert all of you," The commander of the Flags ordered as they readied their weapons and began to look around. "Remember soldiers that there is an Orb unit coming as well so watch your fire."

"Yes sir!" The other five pilots responded quickly.

* * *

Raven watched as the Daemon's two catapults loaded with Flags. Smiling, he drew the "Shorty" beam pistols, and aimed them carefully between the decks, as the Flags began to launch. Raven pulled the trigger numerous times, as the beam rounds ripped through the torso of the machine. Both Flags went up in an instant, shaking the Celestial Being violently. Raven accelerated, as he drew his beam sabres, the laser cannons on his Striker pack, firing them and slicing through the beam guns and the missile launchers on the ship. Passing them, he watched as the last four Flags shot from the catapult.

"DAMN IT!" The commander of the squadron roared. "It's too damn fast!" Suddenly, an orange flash appeared, as an orange fighter fired several beam cannons at the black Gundam, as it flew past. "Wait a minute… what's that?"

* * *

Inside the Harute, Lotte and Kat flicked the controls quickly and in synchronisation, their minds working together.

"I don't think that's part of the ZAFT Forces...so..."

"Right, we take it out."

* * *

One of the Flag pilots called out, seeing the orange mobile armour. "Commander! Gundam Harute has been spotted!"

"All right! Then take out that black mobile suit!" The Flags turned around, aiming their weapons on the Noir, and began opening fire, driving Raven from the ship, which was now completely defenceless.

* * *

"Well, well, GN particles? Those aren't the same as a Flag..." Raven smiled, when suddenly, he gets a tingle at the back of his neck, and playfully fires, inches away from the Harute's cockpit. "Nice Mobile Suit... Clearly isn't a Flag..."

Kat jerked, seeing the beam. "That wasn't aimed at us…"

"Is he toying with us?" Lotte answered, transforming the Harute, while Kat took aim, firing all weapons at the Strike Noir.

"Oh no you don't..." Raven chuckles, firing a pair of Rocket Anchors into the hull of Celestial being and swinging around out of sight of the Flags.

"Hmm?"

"Out of sight…" Kat sighed.

Suddenly the Cannons on the Noir Striker fired from the other side of the ship, aimed at the Flags destroying all four in a few shots, when suddenly, the Noir flew out from its anchors, disconnecting entirely, and flying straight at the Harute, beam sabre drawn.

"DAMN!" Lotte and Kat cursed in unison, having no time to defect with a beam sabre, and deflecting with one of the fore arms, barely holding back Raven.

* * *

Aboard the bridge, Setsuna stands still looking at the monitors while the ship shakes slightly from the blasts. On a monitor next to Setsuna the Captain walked up to the FAITH agent. "Commander, that enemy unit is attacking us and we've lost our support."

"Harute is here...there are no problems... have the Elecro and Trident support it." Setsuna commanded.

* * *

Moments later the two other ZAFT carrier ships begin firing their cannons at the Noir, making sure none of their shots  
hit the Harute or the smoking remains of Celestial Being

"Carriers? How boring..." Raven grinned, as he drew one of the beam pistols, aiming at the bridge of one of the Carriers and pulled the trigger, five times, watching as the Trident was shot in the bridge, exploding almost instantly. However, several life boats launch, although it is unclear how many crew had survived. But then, a large pod appears from the wreckage, as a lone Kshatriya opens its fins, launching all of its funnels directly at Raven, who kicked the Harute into Celestial being. "I'll deal with you later. After all, needing to use funnels against me… that's just sad!"

Lotte and Kat grunted, as the Harute slammed into the carrier. Raven spun around, drawing a second beam sabre, deflecting each shot from the funnels with precision, when the Kshatriya grabbed the left arm of the Strike with one of the claws in the right fin. Raven chuckled, as he spun behind the Kshatriya, tearing off the fin that held him, and aiming his beam sabre at the core of the mobile armour. "Too slow!"

Suddenly, a pair of railgun rounds burst from the direction of the earth, striking the Noir on the chest, pushing it away from the damaged mobile armour. "The hell?" Raven growled, turning his head to the source of the attack, and saw a white mobile suit fly at an incredible speed towards him, its frame was reminiscent of an angel. "What… is that?"


	4. Quiet After The Storm

**Chapter Three: Quiet After The Storm**

Carrus watched, firing four more railgun shots, and several times with his beam rifles at the unknown mobile suit that was attacking the ZAFT forces. The Strike retaliated quickly, firing all beam weapons on the striker pack at Carrus, who coolly spun through all the fire, and collided into the Strike, pushing it into the debris field of the Trident, while charging his positron gun. Suddenly, strike shoved its knee into the chest, kicking Carrus off.

"Hell!" Carrus cursed as the Freedom smashed into what was left of the cruisers hull. "So… that's how it is?" Carrus readied a beam sabre, and drew a beam rifle, as he clashed with the Strike, which drew a beam sabre, and struck on the right side, when Carrus raised his beam rifle in response. "Have some of THIS!" Carrus fired, straight into the shoulder, damaging the suit, as the Strike cut through that beam sabre. Carrus' eyes widened, as the beam cannons aimed again, he knew his next move, as his mind and voice barked his order. "FLY Dragoons!" A pair of Dragoons flew from the wing tips on the Freedom and through the Debris, as the enemy fired his beam cannons, Carrus raised his arm in defence, as the one beam destroyed the hand and beam sabre on the Freedom, when Carrus fired both Dragoons, taking out the left arm and right leg on the Strike, while he drew a beam sabre.

Raven roared, as he slammed into the air bag that protected his head from injury. This pilot was good. He felt ecstasy rush through his body, when a series of laser blasts cu through, the enemy Kshatriya and the orange Gundam appeared.

"Heh… can't do EVERY mission by myself it seems…" Raven chuckled. "Well, this was fun… Maybe next time, Freedom."

The Strike turned and fled, the backpack pushed the Strike through space at a quick pace. Carrus grabbed his dark blue helmet, ripping it from his suit as fast as he could, breathing as much as he could. That battle wore him out, what was only a couple of minutes, seemed like an eternity to the young pilot. The Kshatriya flew beside the Freedom, as its hand made contact with Carrus' suit.

"Freedom unit, you all right?" The pilot asked, his voice established by the contact link.

"Y… yeah… I'll be okay." Carrus breathed, slowing down as the adrenaline left his system. "Any chance I can come aboard your ship for repairs and maintenance?"

"The commander wants you aboard immediately, the Harute is already on board."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Carrus smiled.

* * *

Mayu flew over the ocean, enjoying the sound of the seagulls nearby. She opened her cockpit, letting the wind rush through her long hair as she continued her patrol. Carrus always lectured her about what could happen when she had her cockpit open, but she really didn't care too much, always brushing him off as the "paranoid type". Suddenly, she saw a flash in the distance, and heard a loud cracking of beam sabres. Her eyes wide, she closed the cockpit, seeing two mobile suits on an island, duelling with beam sabres. One was pure white, with a single horn on the top of its head, and the other was a white and yellow Gundam, a set of red and yellow shafts on its back, representing wings.

"What the heck is going on there?" Mayu asked herself, as she flew over the pair. "Attention unknown mobile suits, please... uhh... identify yourselves." The pair continued their duel, not paying any attention to Mayu, until she landed right in between the pair. "Uhh? Hello? Hey!"

Suddenly, the pair stopped, their heads turned, as Lawrence's face appeared on screen. "Oh, sorry Mayu… It's just Brandon and I."

"Oh! Commander Lamperouge!" Mayu bolted, her back straightening. "Sorry! I had no idea!"

"Quite all right, the pair of us are training to get more efficient with our Gundams."

"Kinda funny looking Gundams, dontcha think?" Mayu giggled. "What are those, Angel wings? And… why does Brandon's Gundam have a horn?"

Lawrence chuckled to himself. "Well we all have our preferences. But, Brandon's Gundam, it isn't fully activated, so it kind of looks like a unicorn.

Brandon appeared on the view screen next, his face red with embarrassment. "Lawrence! Shut it!"

"Relax Brandon, she's a friend after all."

Mayu giggled at Brandon and Lawrence. "Carrus' mobile suit kinda looks like a sparkly bird, So don't worry Brandon! Unicorn's are way cooler!"

"Anyway… I suppose we should head back to base…" Lawrence interrupted. "Mayu, would you like to come with us?"

"Uhm… okay!" Mayu smiled. "But I've got a question, why not train in those Astrays?"

Lawrence sighed in disappointment, reminded of his lessons. With a raise of his head, he explained they're situation. "We've both mastered those Astrays. Those are easy, but we still haven't mastered the Gundams. The Zero system on the Wing Zero is so complicated and overwhelming, that even I can lose my mind. I almost destroyed a colony on Mars because of that system, but somehow managed to stop myself , making me realise I have to train to control it. Completely. I can't afford to watch others use that system. And as for Brandon, he still needs to master the NT-D."

Brandon rolled his eyes, unsure of Lawrence's decision. "Lawrence… you're too trustworthy…"

"And you're too paranoid." Lawrence chuckled. "After all, Mayu is kind and gentle. We can trust her…"

Mayu blushed slightly at Lawrence's words. She had never had so much faith in her before.

* * *

Carrus exits the Freedom, pushing himself the mobile suit, the feel of life without gravity felt almost second nature to him. It was odd, but convenient, having this ability. He looked down upon the deck, to see Setsuna on the hangar floor, greeting Lotte and Kat as they exited their Gundam, and saluted Setsuna.

"Lotte..."

"And Kat, Orb Inspection Team, Pilots of the GN-011 Harute, reporting in."

"Guess we won't have to worry about double checking those Flags anymore..." Lotte frowned, looking at the empty spaces in the hangar, which now housed the Kshatriya.

Setsuna nodded in response. "Good to have you both here. You as well Carrus..." Setsuna greeted, as Carrus stood next to Kat, she nudged him, and he blankly stared at her, realising he had to salute Setsuna, he flicked his hand up, and Setsuna returned the salute. "Lotte and Kat, both of you have your orders, so please, do as you wish on the ship." Setsuna glances over to Carrus. "You on the other hand...head to the next level, there should be a free room ready for you with anything that you may need, and I've arranged for a pair of guards outside awaiting any questions..."

Kat politely bowed, as was custom in her birthplace, Japan. "Thank you sir, we will begin immediately."

Carrus turned his head, frowning. "Why am I getting treated like a prisoner?"

Lotte turned away from Setsuna, and lowered his head to look at Carrus. "As far as I know from the Mission Report, you're not even supposed to be here. For whatever reason you are, it's best not to have a factor that could be disruptive to the mission wandering around. Sorry if that's not a good enough explanation."

"Please don't see it as being a captive," Setsuna announced. "You being here was unexpected and I have arranged a room for you to stay in until we reach Orb, you'll have access to wireless connections, and a phone if you feel that you want to speak to anyone onboard this ship, or on earth such as your young girlfriend. You could even make a call to the PLANT's if you wanted" Setsuna explained, as Lotte and Kat headed out to make their inspections.

"Huh?" Carrus blinked, as Setsuna turned, following Lotte and Kat. "How did he know Mayu and I were dating?"

* * *

Mayu slid down to the ground, walking over to Brandon and Lawrence, who filled out some maintenance logs. Lawrence turned to face Mayu first, his face was caring and curious.

"Mayu, what do you know about Newtypes?"

"Newtypes?" Mayu wondered, as she played with her hair. "Um… I remember an article on them, people are saying they're evolved humans. Right?"

"Yes and no…" Lawrence explained. It all depends on perspective and audience. For example, the Naturals claim Newtypes to be natural-born Co-Ordinators, which is false as Newtypes are not physically different, whereas Co-Ordinators believe Newtypes to be the next step in evolution, which is also wrong, as Newtypes are humans who simply view things differently."

"So… what IS a Newtype?" Mayu asked, the one question that people have started to ask, ever since people realised that Newtypes existed in the world.

"That's the question…" Brandon interrupted, drawing Mayu and Lawrence's attention. "I've almost killed myself too many times in my quest for that answer… I just hate the idea of not knowing what we are…"

"…We?" Mayu gasped. "Brandon… are you…"

"We are." Lawrence announced. "The pair of us are Newtypes."


	5. Moment

**Chapter 4: Moment**

The Guards escorting Carrus guided him down through the halls of the ship. The Daemon class vessel was one of the most recent, so living in one was easier and more manageable. The white halls and rooms were always a ZAFT trademark, and even so, Carrus still felt on edge. The guards stopped outside a door, and pressed a button, opening the door. "We'll be outside the door if you need anything sir. There is a television, internet, and a bathroom as well as a king sized bed."

Carrus looked inside, and whistled. "Really fancy prison cell…"

"Sir, don't worry about this. Commander Seiei exclusively asked that you be treated well, just that you don't wander the ship in the meantime. If you want, I can go to the mess hall to fetch you some food?"

"No, I'm fine…" Carrus answered, as he walked in. The door closed behind him, as he looked around. The ZAFT forces were well equipped, despite the name, the Daemons were well equipped and built. One of chairman Vipers favourite tricks, irony. "Now… what to do?" Carrus sat down in front of his computer, turning on the computer. He noticed the video call symbol on the desktop, and opened it up, and tried to call Mayu on earth. He waited for a response, and yet, no answer. "Oh right… she's probably on patrol…" He thought for a moment, and before he knew it, his fingers moved, and he typed in a number for the PLANTS. Looking at the number, he realised he'd called his parents home number.

* * *

"Feldt can't carry all that! Feldt can't carry all that!" Haro bounced up and down, as Feldt dropped the shopping outside the front door, wiping the sweat on her forehead.

"Haro, could you open the door please?" Feldt asked. Feldt closely resembled her mother, having the same blue eyes and long pink hair, which she tried to keep cut just below her shoulders, hoping to get some distinction. An unusual trait she and Carrus always shared, resembling one of their parents. On numerous occasions has Feldt been mistaken for Lacus, and though she didn't mind it, Carrus never seemed to approve.

"Not a problem! Not a problem!" Feldt giggled, as Haro responded. Her Haro was different and larger than any of Lacus', despite being a gift from Athrun. Athrun had managed to use more complex materials and coding, giving her Haro more practicality and speech options for her often busy needs. Haro opened the door, and Feldt picked up her shopping again, as she entered the large, empty house.

"Thank you Haro." Feldt set the shopping down, looking at a family photo of the Yamato's at the beach, where the then three year old Feldt is chasing a one year old Carrus down into the sea. She smiled at her mother and father, who always seemed to keep smiling for them, despite all the troubles that happen in the world. "Are there any messages?"

"Dunno! Dunno!" Haro bounced up to the phone, setting down into the special port made for him, and sat down in it, twirled around and flapped its arms. "No messages! No Messages!"

"Okay…" Feldt sighed, hoping for some news from her parents, who had both disappeared. She worried particularly about her mother.

"Phone call! Phone call!"

"Hm?"

"There's a phone call! Feldt, answer! Answer Feldt!" Haro cried over and over again, when Feldt walked into the other room and pushed a button, revealing a ZAFT phone operator.

"There is a call from the ship Celestial Being, Ms Yamato, will you accept the charges?"

"Celestial Being?" Feldt thought for a moment, Celestial being was the name of the ship under the command of Setsuna F Seiei. "Yes, I will thank you."

"One moment please…"

Feldt walked into the hall, quickly brushing her hair with her hand. She looked like a mess, and she had no idea who could possibly be calling her. Turning around, the phone still hadn't loaded the caller in, the ship must have been some distance away. She waited, when suddenly, Carrus appeared on the screen.

Feldt gasped, surprised by her younger brother's appearance. "Carrus! What are you doing on a ZAFT ship!"

"Err… hey sis…" Carrus chuckled nervously.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"No… I'm fine… I'm just…" Carrus stopped, he didn't know what to tell Feldt. Despite her being older, she always cared deeply about others, especially her little brother. He had no idea how to tell her that over the past few months he had been fighting in a war. Even if he was supporting the Orb alliance, he was unsure of what to say. "I just wanted to see how you're doing… I've kind of ended up working on this ship for a bit."

"For an assignment of sorts?" Feldt asked. Carrus nodded in response, making Feldt smile, another trait she shared with Lacus. "That's good… I have to admit, ever since the attack on Morgenroete, I was worried…"

"That was pretty isolated Feldt." Carrus smiled. "Don't worry, I was ages away from that." Carrus knew he wasn't exactly lying, but he didn't say the whole truth. The truth was he was only on the outer edges of the battle, but still fighting at the same time. "Oh! I found Mayu here actually!"

"Mr and Mrs Asuka's daughter?" Feldt answered. "How is she?"

"Well… we kinda are going out now…" Carrus chuckled, making Feldt chuckle with him. "We have been for a few months now."

"Well I always thought the two of you would make a cute couple…" Feldt giggled, making Carrus blush.

"H…hey, what do you mean… always?"

"Just the way she would always try to be a big sister even though she's a year younger than you." Feldt smiled.

"What about you sis? Anything happen to you? What happened with Neil?"

"We broke up… turns out we weren't suited after all. High school romances, right?"

"Oh yeah… I forgot you wanted to finish high school…" Carrus chuckled, scratching his head. "And what about jobs? Mother said in her last letter you were looking for some…"

"Only during college… and it's harder than I thought…" Feldt chuckled, as Haro rolled to her. "You're lucky to live with Uncle Athrun and Aunt Cagalli, they buy anything you need, right?"

"Emphasis on need..." Carrus grumbled. "But surely Mother and… Father get you…" Carrus stopped, realising Feldt had gasped in awe. "What?"

"That's… that's the first time you've ever called him 'father'…" Feldt smiled, tears welled up a little in her eyes.

"Geez… don't go soft on me now Feldt…" Carrus shyly replied. "I may be a little homesick…"

"Sorry…" Feldt answered, wiping away a tear. "Anyway… Mother left on a business trip with father about… three moths ago."

"Three mo… I see… thanks sis. Uhm… Thanks for the talk… but I should let you go…"

"Carrus, wait…" Carrus stopped, and looked at his sister one last time. "Could you call again? I would like to talk to you some more…"

"Sure… count on me…" Carrus said, as he hung the phone.

* * *

Mayu stood still, washing her hair thoroughly as the shower sprayed hot water down on her. She rinsed thoroughly, when the phone rang. Opening her eyes, she turned the shower off, and grabbed a pair of towels, and wrapped them around her body and hair. Leaving her bathroom, she sat in front of her computer, and turned it on to see Carrus, who blushed and turned his head away.

"Mayu! Uhh… sorry…"

"Heya handsome!" Mayu giggled. "Sorry… you kinda caught me in the shower…"

"Uhhh… I could call back… you know… if you want?"

"No way! You're here now!" Mayu smiled, as she dried her hair. "Besides… you may get lucky to see all of this when you come back…" She added, a playful tone in her voice, making Carrus' face light up bright red.

"Y…yo…y…you're j…j…joking…r…r…r...r…r…right?" Carrus stammered, trying to cover his eyes, and yet compelled to keep looking, making Mayu laugh.

"Relax Carrus…" Mayu smiled. "I'll be out of sight for a little bit, okay?"

"Okay! Err… I mean… not that… uh… not that you're not…"

"I know." Mayu giggled, as she found an old t-shirt and leggings, putting them on.

"Sorry… I'll call again!"

Mayu leaped into her chair, clothed and smiling. "No way! You disappeared into space! I wanna talk to you for a bit!"

"Right… sorry about that…"

"It's okay… but is the ship okay?"

"Not after six pilots were killed, and the Freedom was damaged too…"

"Oh…" Mayu stopped, knowing that she just stepped onto thin ice. "Well… is there anything I can do?"

"Just keep safe…" Carrus smiled. "I'm heading back once the inspections are done."

"Okay… if you say so." Mayu looked at Carrus carefully, she knew he was hurting, and try as she might, she saw there was little she could do for him. "But get back soon, okay? I'd say we need some quality time, okay?"

"Sure… I promise I'll make time for you, okay?" Carrus chuckled, as Mayu blew him a kiss, he reached into the air and slapped his palm to his face.

"Hold onto that!" Mayu smiled, as she disconnected.

Carrus smiled, then making his way off to bed, dreaming of the day he returns to earth to see her. He couldn't help but feel uneasy, knowing what he felt wasn't fake. "Maybe… maybe I really am in love…"

* * *

**_Note from the Author_**

Oooohhhh... I am terrible with love interests ^_^

Anyone get the 00 Reference there? Besides Feldt of course, cause COME ON! She totally looks like Lacus... And BTW Neil's last name isn't Dylandy.

...

It MAY be Stratos though XD

~Vaxercon


	6. Brush With Evolution

**Chapter 5: Brush with Evolution**

Auel looked out of the Abyss' cockpit, seeing all the mechanics rush around, trying to asses everything his suit needed. His mind kept drifting back to Raven's mission, when he decided to launch an attack against the ZAFT ships in the vicinity.

"Mister Neider." One of the mechanics called out, snapping Auel out of his trance. "We might need a couple days to fix these knees, we have some parts that need to be replaced and we need to order some more to be delivered…"

Annoyed, Auel poked his head out of the cockpit, glaring at them. "Just get it done!" he shouted before sitting back down.

"Yes sir!" At this moment, there was a commotion, as a badly damaged Strike Noir docked into the ship. Auel's eyes widened, when he saw Raven fly out of the cockpit in hysterics.

Auel launched himself out of the cockpit, flying at Raven, who passed by him. "Hey, what the hell happened hot shot? You fly through a scrap heap and a metal grinder?"

Raven chuckled, turning to face Auel, a gleam in his eye as he grinned menacingly. "I finally met my match. In a Freedom no less...

"A Freedom?" Auel burst, shocked at the news. "You mean Kira Yamato is out there now?"

"Yeah… cool, ain't it?"

* * *

Kat and Lotte were in the middle of inspecting a GNX, having a quiet conversation, when a ZAFT officer approached them, raising his hand, he saluted, and Lotte and Kat returned. "Sir, Ma'am, I was ordered by Commander Seiei to help you with your inspection anyway that I can."

Kat smiled courteously. "Thank you for the assistance. We've already covered a good deal of what we were sent to check over already, so we just need to see the 00 Qan [T]."

"I understand, I'll show you at once" The officer led Lotte and Kat toward the hanger where he froze seeing Setsuna standing casually in the door to the hanger, "Commander Seiei sir!" The officer saluted, as did Setsuna. "You're free to go soldier" Setsuna responded, upon lowering his arm. The officer turned and left, giving Setsuna opportunity to the turn to the door to type a code into it. "I understand that your Gundam shares the same GN drive tech as mine." Setsuna glanced over to Lotte and Kat, "I've also heard of the impressive capabilities of your machine."

"Yes, they are of a similar make." Lotte responded, suspicion rang in his voice. "The Harute's design was taken from the Murasame and GAT-X 303 Aegis originally."

Kat however, was more sympathetic towards Setsuna. "It was improved tremendously, and outfitted with GN Technology, as a gift from Chairman Viper. It represents a shining star in Orb's Fleet. Both myself and Lotte are very proud to pilot it."

Lotte watched carefully as the doors opened in front of him. "Once we got going, I doubt even you could catch up Commander Seiei. Now, will you allow us to inspect you GN-0000Q, the 00 Qan [T]?"

"Yes, both the 00 Qan [T] and the new GNX units are right through here." Setsuna said floating inside as motion sensor run lights turned on in the hanger. The 00 Qan [T] was laid onto its back with its GN sword V connected to its right arm and its GN shield with all its blade bits on. Along the sides of the hold, six GNX units hung from the ceiling just above the Qan [T], each armed with a beam rifle in the right hand and a bazooka in their left, a beam sabre handle could be seen from their left shoulders.

Lotte and Kat split up, but remained parallel as they inspected each GNX, taking the exact amount of time to inspect each one. Within half an hour, the reached the 00 Qan [T], which they took even longer on, looking at the unit very carefully, making sure nothing was left out. Upon finishing, they looked at each other, nodded and turned to face Setsuna, as if they practiced the activity for an eternity.

"Alright, we've examined them to the extent of our mission parameters." Lotte announced.

"The Celestial Being is now cleared for landing in Orb, Commander Seiei." Kat confirmed.

* * *

Ensign Kirin Zaran, sighed, the sound of his Flag was the hum in the emptiness of space. "What's wrong Kirin?" One of the Flag pilots asked.

"There's nothing out here, this is a waste of time, and my GN particles are going to waste in a place like this." Kirin replied.

"Well better safe then sor…" The voice over the speaker had suddenly cut out.

"Mathew?" Asked Kirin, "Askaw you got Mathew on your sensors?" He asked the third member of his squad.

"No he just went dark" Askaw replied.

"Lets check the area he was in, he might've hit some debris or something, idiot" Kirin replied. The flags both congregated on where the third flag was and found nothing but chunks of metal and parts of the black Flag.  
"Must've been a really big rock?" Askaw said with a slightly shaky chuckle.

"Or that!" Kirin said as a black Gundam appeared behind the flag Askaw piloted. The Gundam was massive, appearing to wear a cloak and carrying a beam scythe. Activating the menacing weapon, the flag Askaw piloted was ripped in two, as the Gundam suddenly vanished without a trace.

"W-What?" Kirin asked, confused and shocked.

"HAH! Suck it you dirty Coordinator!" The pilot of the Deathscythe Gundam roared.

* * *

"Twi, why did you let him live?" Weiss' voice buzzed over the intercom.

"Always leave one to tell the tale" Twi replied.

"Not when you're still on the scene" Kayos muttered over the speakers.

"Relax Kayo!" Twi answered. "It's not like those guys'll… huh?" Twi glazed at his sensors, as his scattered comm devices began cutting out in six areas of the sensor array, a sure sign of reinforcements.

"Oh good going Twi now there's six of them" Weiss' voice buzzed.

"Ease up Weiss, I can handle it" Twi replied.

"This time make sure they can't call for reinforcements" Kayos' voice chimed in.

"I hear ya boss, now, let's kick some ass…" Twi flew into the debris, Mirage Colloid active, as he silently approached, seeing the Flag he left behind. His sensors showed a Flag behind him, still no sign it had seen him. Appearing from the debris, he cut the suit down, waiting for another to appear. Sure enough, in a couple of minutes, two appeared, and Twi manoeuvred behind them, striking them in a single swing. "Right… that's three…" Flying into the rocks, Twi waited, as a Flag flew out, firing its beam rifle wildly into space. The pilot was spooked, and Twi didn't blame him. Flying into him, Twi cut him down, watching as the last two flags flew back to back. Soaring out, he deactivated his Mirage Colloid, and took both down in a second, before the pilots could blink.

"Good job Twi" Kayos' voiced buzzed in over the intercom.

"Thanks boss" Twi replied.

* * *

Carrus opened his eyes, sensing a presence out in space. Something stirred within him, as he sensed something move out in the depths of space. Looking up, he began to leave his room, when the guard turned to face him.

"Ensign, you need to go back inside."

"Sorry, I just wanna look out the window a moment…" Carrus answered, floating to the window in the hall, when the guard just looked at him strangely, wondering what he was trying to figure out. Sure enough, Carrus saw three flashes of light in the distance. Carrus felt a wave fly into his mind, and almost immediately he tried to decipher the feeling he had. "What… is that?"

* * *

Kayos looked back, having a feeling of insecurity, almost as if he was being watched. _"Someone's out there… someone who can detect me… Is it an Innovator? Or maybe… could it even be a Newtype?"_ Kayos thought closely, trying to think of the next course of action. "We're returning. Check your sensors, make sure we aren't followed." He announced over the comm line.

"Got it Kayo!"

"Roger."

Kayos opened the door to their room. "Twi, damn it WHY did you do that?" He asked, his voice rose with his frustration.

"Sorry boss, I wasn't thinking right" Twi answered, collapsing into the couch in the corner of the room. "Had a caring moment".

"I noticed, that isn't normal for you, normally you don't give a shit." Kayos sneered.

"Said I was sorry…" Twi mumbled.

"I know, I know, but still, we could've ended part of the conflict there" Kayos muttered as he collapsed on his bed.

"That's not true," Weiss said as he entered the room, sitting at the desk on the other end. "They might've sealed that giant hole from the outside. That would've stopped the atmospheric leak…" He finished.

"True, but it would've most likely givin' us an advantage later" Kayos replied. Weiss just nodded in agreement.

"Just wish we could've taken those ships out… one of 'em was crippled too…" Twi began, as he raised his head, sticking his hands in between his head and the couch. "Looked like it was in bad shape too…"

"It is." Kayos looked up, almost in sync, Twi and Weiss followed his movement, to see the black haired Raven standing in the doorway. "Kinda sucks… letting it go, right? So… what d'ya think, keen to shoot it down?"

Kayos and the others looked at each other, as Kayos smiled to the others. "You up for it guys?"

"Sure!" Twi shrugged standing up.

"Hell YEAH! Finally!" Weiss said as he leaped out from his chair.

"Alright then, guess we're in." Kayos sneered standing up from his bed.

"When do we launch?" Weiss asked.

Kayos looked at Raven, "I'm assuming, immediately?" he replied.

"Those guys are landing on Earth, of course immediately." Raven answered, walking up to Kayos. "Just ONE condition, there's a modified Freedom class Gundam on board. He's mine."

Kayos looked at Weiss, then Twi, looking back at Raven, a smile on his face. "Deal."

* * *

Carrus waited, confused at the thoughts that rushed through his head. He knew he sensed something earlier, but what it was confused him, it felt familiar. In many ways it felt much like what he felt any time Setsuna was nearby. He looked up, staring at a recent E-mail of Mayu, who had attached a picture of her to it, just blowing him a kiss. He smiled, feeling lightened at the sight of it. He looked up at the sound of the door opening, to see Setsuna step through.

"Carrus Yamato." Setsuna emotionlessly expressed.

"Is… something wrong?" Carrus asked, sitting up.

"I heard you left your room for a moment. What happened?"

Carrus looked down for a moment, trying to imagine how he could describe the feeling. "I… felt something a moment ago. That's…"

"Almost like a presence that called you?" Setsuna answered.

"Y… yeah…" Carrus answered, his eyes widened.

"So… that's why you were chosen. You may not be the Ultimate Coordinator like your father, but you appear to be a Newtype."

"Newtype?" Carrus asked, feeling he had heard the term before. "What is that?"

"It depends. They go by many names, Innovator, genuine Coordinator, even Ace pilot." Setsuna paused, to type on Carrus' computer for a moment. "To Naturals, they are beings born into great power, an even greater threat than Coordinators, but to Coordinators, they are feared as the true next step in human evolution."

"Wait… but I'm a…"

"It doesn't matter if you're a Natural or Coordinator, you can be born a Newtype either way." Setsuna stepped away to reveal a series of genetic files of Newtypes, as believed but unconfirmed by the ZAFT forces. Carrus looked through, there were few names. Rau Le Creuset, Rey Za Burrel, and seven other names, but there were four that caught his attention; Shinn Asuka, Athrun Zala, and both his parents, Lacus and Kira Yamato.

"What is all this? Is that possible?" Carrus' eyes shook, and his hands trembled as he peered into the screen. "Both my parents?"

"It is believed so. Although this list is purely speculation based on performances in combat and in political terms."

"Orb is known to have studied this much longer than we have, you should ask Admiral Zala when you return."

"Setsuna… you appear on the list." Carrus pointed out, spotting Setsuna as one of the most recent names on the list.

"I'm an Innovator, yes." Setsuna answered.

"Even Mayu's dad… how is this?"

"You haven't heard the stories?" Setsuna asked. "Shinn Asuka is a legend within ZAFT, in a single battle; he once destroyed over forty Earth forces mobile suits, a mobile armour and sunk twelve ships while on earth, just off the coast of Orb."

"Seriously?"

"And Athrun Zala…" Setsuna said with a faint smile on his face. "He's famous for shooting down the very first Strike Gundam piloted by your father, the battle of Onogoro Island, and at Jachin-Due."

"A fan of Athrun, huh?" Carrus chuckled.

"His feats are legendary, though your father is one of a kind as well, isn't he?" Setsuna scowled, as a series of sirens went off in the ship, as the ship upgraded to condition yellow. "Stay here."

"What? But I can help!"

"Maybe, but stay out of this." Setsuna answered. "I'll be taking the 00 out for this, so I can finish this, all right?"

"…Okay…"

* * *

Raven set up his position, drawing a special extended beam rifle with a scope, as Twi and Weiss set up their ambush, with Kayos hiding behind an asteroid. "Just remember, once I fire the first shot, it's up to you two. That Gundam Heavy Arms Kai, it'll provide support fire."

"Roger." Weiss acknowledged, as the heavily armed Gundam, approached, aiming all four chain guns down into the space Twi hid in.

"Gundam Deathscythe Hell, it's up to you to take them one by one, understood?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Twi sneered over the comm.

"And Gale Strike? You make your own shots, just leave that Freedom to me, got it?"

"Yup." Kayos answered, as the blue and orange Strike stood by within an asteroid.

"Now little Freedom… what will you do?" Raven sniggered, at the sight of the ZAFT ships launching their mobile suits.


	7. Carrus' Rival

**Chapter 6: Carrus' Rival**

Setsuna's hands flicked across the "All systems online, GN drives at normal levels" Setsuna said to himself, as he clicked his visor into his helmet. Setsuna looked to his side and saw the six GNX suits' eyes flash on a bright violet.

"GNX squad Alpha ready to launch when you are commander!" One of the pilots said over the comm to Setsuna.

"Roger that" Setsuna responded as the hanger bottom opened under 00 Qan [T] to reveal the launching catapult. The Blue Gundam slowly got lowered and turned upright to be attached to. Once 00 was tightly fitted into the launch braces Setsuna clenched onto his controls. "Setsuna F. Seiei... 00 Qan [T]... Launching!" Setsuna called as 00 burst forward out of the ship, "Alpha team launch at once." Setsuna ordered 00's eyes flashing bright blue.

"I hear you commander." one pilot responded as the GNX' were moved along a conveyer belt and each moved one by one onto the same launch catapult.

* * *

Lotte and Kat had just landed in the other ship when the alert had come in. Nodding to each other, they had already headed to the Harute and were now patrolling between the two ships, looking out for any enemy.

"This is Harute, no enemies detected so far..." Lotte sighed.

Kat confusedly asked, "Commander Seiei, are you sure there's an attack?"

The 00 Qan [T] stopped, looking around quickly. "I know that I sensed something out here...or getting closer." Setsuna narrowed his stare around him, "The only issue is that I can't determine where it is now..." Setsuna lightly set down on top of an asteroid while the six GNX units take off with three with Celestial Being and the other three meeting up with Harute.

* * *

Raven peered from the side of an asteroid, watching as the Harute and 00 appeared in his sights. "I recognize that fighter, but that Blue Gundam is completely different... and where's that Freedom... Huh?" Raven's keen Quantum senses sparked, as a voice spoke, calling a name, Setsuna. "Oh ho? Quantum Brain waves huh? Must be an innovator. Heh, nice... wonder if he's any good before I pull the plug on 'im... And on top of that… those are new models? And coming out to play with me? I may just have to be tricky... Deathscythe, take those three out, make a distraction."

"On it" Twi replied.

* * *

"GUNDAM!"

"What the? HURK!"

"COMMANDER SEIEI!"

Setsuna's head pounded at the sound of the GNX units being taken out one by one. "Those are the latest mobile suits, how are they being shot down so easily?" Looking right away toward one of the destroyed GNX's, Setsuna grimaced, seeing a burn through its body. . "...Rrrrr...All GNX units fall back to the ship and hold your position." 00 Qan [T] jumped from its spot to hover around looking. "Harute pilots, stay on your guard and take out any units you may see". Setsuna comm to them, a second later his attention was drawn to a small glitter of light. "There!" Setsuna yelled his GN sword V switching to its rifle mode and fired at the asteroid. The shard of rock splintered into hundreds of pieces, as Raven disappeared amongst the rubble.

"He's faster than I thought... Deathscythe, continue what you're doing, I'll give you cover!" Raven flew into some more debris, firing upon two more GNX units behind the Harute.

As the battle of silence continued, Kayos' Gale Strike hit the side of Celestial Being. "If he doesn't come too subtly, fine then…" he murmured. Pulling out the two Anti ship blades, Kayos stabbed them into the hull of the ship, and with a twist of his arms cut an oval into the side of the ship. Activating his boosters and floating away back behind an asteroid.

Weiss shot a rocket at the partly through oval and hit it dead on, if not a little to the right. "I'll berate myself for missing my mark later!" Weiss yelled as he punctured through the oval cut on the craft and made a hole to space.

* * *

Carrus cringed, his head began to pound heavily, the pain felt unbearable. "UGH! What the... what the hell is happen... UGH!" Collapsing on the floor, he could hear the sounds of detonations and shots from outside, but in his mind, he heard the voices of those who had been killed during the battle. "Damn... damn it..." Suddenly, the ship shook violently, as he felt the ship had begun to tear itself apart. "What the? WHOA!" Slamming against the wall, Carrus rubbed his head. "Damn it... Not now…" Carrus began to slowly edge out of his room, noticing the guards had left their posts in a panic. "Crap... this is not ending well... better get to work..." Sliding along the walls, Carrus silently made his way to the Freedom that lay waiting for him in the hangar.

* * *

Twi appeared in front of the Harute and activated his hidden beam sabre in his shield and fired it at the Suit. "Roger that Raven!" Twi said seriously.

The Harute transformed, as it evaded Twi's attack with precision and skill. "Stealth Cloaked Unit Detected, appropriate measures, approved." Lotte grimaced.

"Harute, now transforming. Gundam Marute, engaged" Kat finalised. Twisting around so that the Harute was properly oriented, the head opened up slightly, revealing two other eyes in the forehead. The mouthpiece slid open revealing another two, and finally the clear plate over it's normal eyes slid upward, and all 6 of it's eyes flashed, glowing a grim red. "Marute Gundam, Online."

"Now beginning Elimination of Target." The Marute twisted around, facing the Deathscythe head on, even though it was cloaked. It's rifle swords flew forward from the hips, the unit grabbing them as it flew at the Deathscythe, raising it's twin swords up to cleave the cloaked unit in two. Suddenly, the Gale Strike flew from around two asteroids and drew its twin beam sabres mid flight, while defending the Deathscythe.

"Twi, now would be a good time to leave!" Kayos yelled as his two blades clashed with the two blades of the Marute.

Kat grimaced as the Gale Strike emerged. "New target detected, stealth systems...not in use on this one."

Lotte sneered tightly. "Forward cannons, fire!" The Marute continued pushing forward on the Gale Strike with it's Swords. As it did, it's shoulders shifted further upwards, the large cannons on it's back twisting so that they both faced forward, aiming at the Gale Strike's lower chest, where it's cockpit was, as either cannon fired a powerful beam blast. The gale strike put its foot on the Marute's knee and pushed off, flying up over the beam attacks, the Gale Strike Gundam twisted midair and drew one of its anti ship blades, swinging it downwards. Kayos flicked on the joysticks, using its boosters, it boosted downwards both blades aimed at the middle of the Marute, about to cleave it in two.

"So we're a bit hostile that I can understand…" Kayos glared at the orange unit longinly.

"Target has evaded. Tracking." Kat announced, watching Kayos' movements.

Lotte jerked his head upwards. "Above!" The pair jerked backwards in unison, making the Marute raise one of it's own oversized swords, blocking the attack like it knew where it would be coming from. As it did, both it's cannons rotated back up, again firing twin blasts up at the Gale Strike

"Whoop! Well, looks like you missed again" Kayos said ducking under the blasts, as he boosted in front of the Marute.  
"Seriously we're gonna play this game are we?" He asked, putting away his left anti-ship blade and re-drew his beam sabre for that hand. "Guess Im going to have to play un-fairly" he muttered as he dodged another beam attack. He boosted forward charging the Marute head on, then he boosted downwards right in front of it, just as the Deathscythe materialized right in front of the Marute his scythe's two blades rotated apart to form a T-shaped weapon. Kayos boosted around the Marute and started to attack at the back. When the asteroid rotated around to reveal Weiss in the Gundam, Heavy Arms Kai, both of its chain guns opened fire upon the Marute. All the melee weapons from the Gale Strike, and the Deathscythe collided into the body of the Harute, both Kayos and Twi evaded, just in time for Weiss to cut down the battered remains with his long range fire. The Orange Gundam crackled, and fell, lifeless into space

As they talk a sudden appearance of six blue and green projectiles fly straight at Kayos and Twi, striking the Strike against the hull, and the Deathscythe's arm. While the sword bits fly, the 00 Qan [T] hovers down next to the remains of the Marute. "My apologies…" Setsuna cursed at himself, seeing the remains of the Orb Gundam float past. "I was allowing my ships a chance to escape…" Glaring up to the Gale Strike and the Deathscythe. Setsuna turned toward Kayos as his sword bits returned to the shield and attached on. "00 Qan [T], eliminating the target!" Setsuna shouted rushing toward Kayos, with his GN sword ready.

"Oh, you again?" Raven laughed, leaping from an asteroid, in between the 00 and the Gale Strike, his Strike Noir began to draw the shorty beam rifles, firing them and the beam cannons at Setsuna.

Setsuna snapped his gaze at the Strike Noir, shifting his shield to face forward, blocking the beams and reflecting slightly as streams that fired in all directions back at Raven. "Beams do nothing to me!" Setsuna shouted staying behind the beam counterattack with his GN blade and swinging it at Raven.

Raven flew behind the 00. "Hi there jerk…" Drawing his beam sabres, Raven thrust his weapons towards the back of the 00, whose shield instantly turned on its axis to block the beam sabres. "Neat trick!" Once the sabres strike the shield the GN large bits fired out, both flew around behind Raven while the 00 turned its body toward Raven while keeping the shield in place. "Now that's not cool..." Raven lurched upwards, kicking the shield upwards and flipping around, as the bits pass under him, beam sabres aimed down the centre of the 00. Once the shield was kicked up Raven could see the Qan[T] face him, bringing its GN sword up to block the beam sabres. "Wow, you're as good as they say!" Raven laughed, knowing Setsuna could hear him.

"I assume that you have never seen my Gundam before." Setsuna answered, blankly pushing Raven back several yards with the force of 00 Qan [T]'s propulsion. "If that's the case then I'll... I'll have to destroy you... I'll eliminate you!" Setsuna yelled finally using the GN blade to knock both beam sabres out of the Strike Noir's hands. Both large GN blade bits made another turn around coming at Raven from the sides once more. "Face it… You can't beat me."

Raven smiled, knowing who he had met. "It's you... Setsuna F Seiei!" Doubling back, Raven grabbed both GN bits by their hilts before they stabbed into his sides, making Setsuna's eyes widen. Raven laughed maniacally, stabbing the 00 in the chest with one, and slashing across the head with the second. "You're MINE!" Raven was moments away from stabbing into the cockpit, when a blue and red beam cut across the emptiness of space, melting the arm that nearly dealt the lethal blow to Setsuna's unit. "SHIT! The hell was that?" Raven looked back at the source, seeing the Eternal Freedom Gundam emerge from the carrier. "Heh… it's you…"

* * *

"These odds..." Weiss grimaced.

"Are definitely not in our favour..." Twi cursed.

"Agreed. I guess we might as well do nothing as it retreats, HEY at least no one died right?" Kayos said with a laugh.

"Yeah, that's always good!" Twi replied, laughing.

"Alright im heading back to base, be a good boy while me and Weiss are away alright?" Kayos said, with a turn, boosting away.

"Roger that!" Twi chuckled, as he engaged his Mirage Colloid.

"HEY! Where are you three going?" Raven yelled over the intercom.

Twi was the first to answer. "Weiss will be back, and my right arm is toast, so we're heading in for repairs" He informed Raven.

"Bastard! And all while this is going on?"

* * *

Setsuna grunted as the 00 was knocked back from the resulting explosion from the Positron gun. 00 Qan[T] reached the one of the pieces stuck in its cheek and pulled it out and let it loose to go after Noir while a medium sized bit detached from the shield and flew in 00's hand as it clenched it and a beam sabre burst to life from the bit and swung it to take off Noir's legs, who flew over the attack. "Carrus what are you doing out here?" Setsuna asked looking to the Freedom. "For the record your uncle Zala now owes the ZAFT military several thousand dollars to replace that bit."

"Bill me later! I'm saving YOUR ass right now!" Drawing both beam sabres, he clashed with the Noir, pushing it away, all before he could stab Setsuna again.

"YES! Now THIS is what I'm after!" Raven laughed, as he flew backwards, firing the beam cannons at Carrus. The Freedom managed to spin over the attack, cutting off a wing on the Noir's striker pack. "Come on Freedom! Don't disappoint me now!" Attacking with his beam sabre, Raven aimed at the head of the Freedom, making Carrus duck, and begin flying through the debris field.

"Not a chance!" Twi emerged from the depths of space, swinging his scythe downwards. "I'll take you down while I have a chance!" Twi felt victorious, confident he had struck down the Freedom, when suddenly, the 00 appeared from nowhere in a flash of green light, catching the light of its beam scythe at the last second.

"Another one?" Setsuna growled, as his large bit came up, pushing the Deathscythe away. "Who are you?" Setsuna yelled through the comm as the GN bit returned to the shield. 00 Qan[T] turned back with its GN sword V in its rifle mode aimed at Deathscythe and charged to fire while its beam sabre was ready to counter any melee attack from the Deathscythe.

Twi was unsure of what to think, when he saw the 00 simply appear from nowhere, right before his eyes. Twi sat there for a couple moments staring down the charging barrel of the 00 Qan [T]'s rifle. Twi simply sat still, confused, he didn't know what to do.

"You're mine." Setsuna growled, just before the GN rifle fired and blew Deathscythe's left arm off, throwing the beam scythe into space. After the blast 00 Qan[T] readied his beam sabre. "Surrender yourself and you'll be spared."

Twi giggled as he defensive algorithms kicked in on his Gundam. He opened the comm line between the Deathscythe and the 00. "NOT UNLESS I GET TO RESENT THE EA!" he yelled, firing his machine guns that simply bounced off the 00's armour.

Setsuna narrowed his gaze just before he had Qan[T] advance forward as his GN sword mode sliced through the units legs. "You're not making this easy on yourself."

"I don't want to lose my squad, they're my FAMILY!" Twi replied harshly as he boosted backwards. "IF I surrender to you, I lose them!"

Setsuna lowered his beam sabre and GN Sword, staring at the Deathscythe. "I never would have thought that you EA pilots could feel such connections." Setsuna said coldly, "If all of you surrender, then I can arrange you all to share a cell."

Twi thought carefully. "But what if they don't want to?" He asked. "We are part of the EA for a reason." Twi muttered.  
"I just don't know what the reason is…"

"Then I guess I'll have to take you in and kill them." Setsuna responded as he released the medium GN bit and its returned to the shield.

"NO!" Twi yelled as he charged the Qan[T] in a futile effort.

Setsuna sighed as the Deathscythe charged at him. "I warned you." Setsuna whispered, cutting it down quickly and without destroying it. "You're coming with me." Setsuna warned as the GN sword V moved around Deathscythe's torso and across its chest keeping it pinned.

"Commander!" a voice called on a comm. to Setsuna, he looked and saw a large squad of Space type Flag units flying past, two grabbing the Deathscythe.

"Good that you showed up" Setsuna answered, seeing several ZAFT carrier ships approaching as well.

* * *

"Damn it!" Carrus yelled, as the Strike Noir turned and began pushing the Freedom towards Earth.

"What the hell, you're getting soft on me?" Raven smiled, hearing Carrus' voice, as he turned on a video connection, seeing Carrus in the seat, without his pilot suit. "Well, another kid like me huh?"

Carrus' eyes widened when he saw Raven, someone not two years older than him in the pilot's seat. "Wait... YOU'RE the pilot?"

"Yeah…" Raven smiled. "Honestly thought I was fighting Kira Yamato at first... but now I'm facing some clone of his. Go figure!"

"You wish! I'm his son!" Carrus' rage urged him forward, as he pushed Raven back, as he fired his Lohengrin cannon and Valiant Railguns. Raven responded quickly, by flipping over the attack, and kicking the Freedom square in the chest. "UGH! DAMN!" Carrus felt the strain of his body, as it was flung into his seatbelts, his head slammed into the airbags that emerged from the console.

"Pity..." Raven sighed. "Guess you're not as skilled as him..." Raven flew straight at Carrus, taking advantage of Carrus' disorientation, and thrusting his beam sabre towards the Freedom.

Then, a familiar feeling swept over Carrus, as a sense of total clarity swept over him. And before he knew it, the SEED in him had bloomed, and his eyes turned opaque. It was it this point, that a voice called from the computer in the Freedom. "Warning. Odysseus programme activated. Initialising Lambda Drive."

"What?" Carrus exclaimed. "What's a...?" Raven aimed again, when suddenly, the hull of the Freedom glowed a bright blue, and as an asteroid passed over the Freedom, it disappeared from Raven's sight.  
"The hell?" Raven cursed, when the Freedom flew faster than he could tell, right behind him, tearing the Striker pack off with his Dragoons, and firing ten consecutive Railgun rounds at the Noir.

Raven yelled, as the Noir flew backwards from the Freedom. "SHIT!" Entirely on instinct, Raven reached for the ejection seat, and pulled the poles, as the seat flew out the back of the Strike, as the black Mobile suit disappeared in a sea of flame.


	8. Kira's Return

**Chapter 7: Kira's Return**

Lawrence and Brandon walk through the halls towards Athrun's office. The pair were shaken, upon hearing Lotte and Kat were declared MIA. Brandon was hit particularly badly, his past had haunted him enough, the loss of his comrades so early on really shook him, and he remained quiet as he accompanied Lawrence into Athrun's office. The pair saluted the Coordinator Admiral, who returned. He watched Brandon's hand, as it shook slowly, knowing his uneasiness. He felt the same feeling twenty three years ago, after his comrade, Miguel was killed at Heliopolis.

"Thank you for coming." Athrun began, his voice stern, yet shaky. "I'm sure you've heard by now… but there was a conflict in outer space, with the fleet that was coming to support us. " Athrun reached for some documents in his drawer, handing them to Lawrence. "I'll need you both to report in orbit to bring Carrus Yamato  
back to Orb, he might need an escort after what happened to him. He's… reported to have been a little upset…"

"Yes sir." Lawrence answered. "Is he all right?"

"Yes." Athrun smiled. "He's just distraught for the moment."

"Very well then." Lawrence turned to face Brandon, smiling at him, who turned away slowly, ashamed of his feelings. "Our Astrays will be sufficient, right?"

"…Yeah…"

* * *

Carrus left the Freedom, scarred by his encounter with Raven, as he floated past Setsuna. Setsuna frowned, watching Carrus fly past without a word about what happened. Setsuna knew that he was troubled by the events that just passed. Without thought, Setsuna pushed himself on the floor and began to fly down the hall, still in his blue and white flight suit, following Carrus as he returned to his room. Setsuna grabbed his arm, speaking out immediately. "Carrus…"

"I don't WANT to know." Carrus growled. " I know I left without your authorisation… or whatever, but frankly, this ship needed the help, all right?"

"Thank you."

"But even so, I just… Wait… what did you say?"

Setsuna replied with the same stern tone he always used, remaining as emotionless as ever. "Were it not for your being here, I'd imagine things would have ended up a lot worse…"

Carrus began to chuckle, he was particularly nervous about being punished for his conduct. "Yeah… no problem…"

"But now I need you to return to Earth when the Orb pilots escorting you arrive." Setsuna announced suddenly, taking Carrus by surprise.

"What? Why?"

"It was an order given by Admiral Zala, and while you are on board my ship you will have to comply with any order given to you. Understand?"

Carrus' friendly eyes shrivelled into an angered glare, as he burst at Setsuna. "Like HELL I am! Not until I know the ship is safe!"

Setsuna sighed, knowing Carrus was too emotional. He personally couldn't understand anything about Carrus' feelings, as for him, following orders was the one thing he understood. "The ship will be fine. We already have another fleet coming with another shipment of GNX units for reinforcements. This time the fleet is guarded with some of the most powerful ships we have." Setsuna turned, as he called behind him. "You should go back to Orb, Carrus Yamato... you'd clearly be safer there."

"…It has been a while since I saw Mayu…" Carrus whispered.

* * *

Lawrence and Brandon docked, with several Murasame's following suit. They left their red and blue Astrays, as they touched down onto the hangar floors, with Setsuna and Carrus waiting for the pair. Setsuna was the first to speak.

"I assume that you two are the individuals selected to bring Mr. Yamato back to Orb?"

"That is correct." Lawrence smiled politely. "My name is Lawrence Lamperouge, and my companions name here is Brandon Links." Brandon simply nodded at mention of his name, so Lawrence continued. "We've come to take Carrus back to Orb."

Setsuna explained looking to Lawrence and Brandon, "He's in his room now, this ship must return to the Plants now that our GNX units are being delivered. These following ships will need an inspection of course but once that is finished we can show these new units to Orb officials so they can feel comforted knowing what our newest units are like."

"Thank you." Lawrence smiled, as he began turning to face Brandon. "You stay here, I'll get him."

"Sure." Brandon responded, as Lawrence followed a ZAFT soldier who led him to Carrus' room. Lawrence peered inside, to see Carrus lying in the darkened room, refusing to let light enter his room.

"Carrus, it's time to leave." Lawrence's voice was sombre and quiet, knowing what Carrus had on his mind, and fearing his safety. "Carrus, we need to go, now."

"They're dead because of me…" Carrus whispered, his knees dug into his forehead as Carrus tried desperately to hide his shame. "Lotte and Kat…"

"We are still assessing the situation…" Lawrence began. "But, it looks like the ejection seats had been fired moments before the Harute was taken down, so chances of them being alive are relatively high."

"Lawrence…"

"In any case, we are leaving. Get into your flight suit, we'll depart in half an hour." Lawrence announced, as he turned to the door, Carrus looked up.

"Uhh… is Mayu okay?" Lawrence stopped, as he knew that Carrus thoughts were fixated on the idea that she ended up in a battle while he was gone.

"She's all right Carrus." Carrus smiled, relieved at his answer. "However." Carrus looked up again, concerned at Lawrence's sudden pause. "I felt in her heart that she was intensely worried about you."

"Oh…" Carrus whispered, as Lawrence left the quarters.

* * *

Adrian sat across from Twi in the transport that was flying toward the PLANT's, their small ship felt cramped, especially with the extravagances Viper put in his ship, including a mini bar, a pool table and a large couch for himself. All the while, Twi shifted on his stool. "Soooo..." Adrian started, lounging in his chair. "You got a name, kid?" Adrian asked charmingly, eyeing the guard on either side of Twi as he made sure that he was constantly watched.

Twi looked up, a large grin on his face. "My name is Twilphaesyn, Arenfaebolg, Synclaer." Twi replied. "And you are the leader of ZAFT correct?" he asked.

Adrian nodded, giving a slight chuckle "Nice name, I have heard a lot of interesting names throughout my years but that name is probably the most pimp I have ever heard." Adrian stroked his chin for a moment, while his wild imagination ran into a random idea, as he leaned back into his seat. "I can so see you wearing a money suit. Mhmmm. Supreme Chairman Adrian Viper is my name...go ahead and call be Adrian."

"Adrian...hmmm" Twi thought for a moment, "You can call me Twi then" He replied with a grin.

* * *

On the shores of Orb, Mayu walked quietly around in her white and red Orb uniform. She felt reminiscent after Lotte and Kat's disappearance, as she worried. She had heard that Carrus leaped into battle without thought, and that he even took some damage. As she walked past the lines of graves, symbolising the deaths in the very first Bloody Valentine war, nearly twenty two years ago. She felt saddened, knowing the grandparents and aunt she never knew were somewhere in those very graves.. She looked towards the memorial in the centre of the cliff face, when she saw a man watching the sky. Walking over, she politely spoke up. "Hello, did you lose someone too?"

"May your souls rest in space… all those who have perished." The man spoke in a mysterious tone, his voice sounded familiar to Mayu, she got a sense of uneasiness, knowing she must have known this man.

"Uhm… are you okay?" Mayu asked, when suddenly, there was a crash in the earth, and Mayu covered her eyes from the dust that flew over the battlefield. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked in shock, as she saw a white Gundam, with a black torso and dark blue wings, all the joints, the central piece and arms were coated with gold. It was a Freedom Gundam, but one Mayu could have only dreamed to see, as the man threw off his cloak, stepping into the cockpit of the mobile suit. Mayu's eyes widened, to see a man who looked almost exactly like Carrus, the difference being in his longer hair, and his heavily tanned skin. "Mister Yamato?"

Kira looked up, seeing Mayu. He whispered something as the hatch closed, and the Strike Freedom launched into the sky, the very force of it threw Mayu to the side, as she collapsed onto the dry earth.

* * *

Carrus eased on the throttle as he entered the atmosphere, the cockpit quickly cooled down. He gave a sigh of relief, re-entry was tougher than he anticipated. Suddenly, a siren went off, and Carrus' eyes snapped open, when Brandon and Lawrence began flying in a defensive formation.

"Heads up!" Lawrence announced, as the Red Frame Astray pointed in the distance.

"That thing's fast!" Brandon seethed, his Astray Blue Frame readied his weapons.

"WAIT!" Carrus yelled, seeing the unit that came in, the Strike Freedom Gundam, and all eight of its Dragoons were deployed and not in sight. He got a flash of recognition go through his head, he knew the pilot of that mobile suit very well, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that? What's my father doing here?" Suddenly, the Freedom fired a shot, which pierced the bottom of the foot of the Red Frame.

"DAMN IT!" Lawrence cursed. Lawrence pulled up, switching his tactical arms from flight mode to arrow mode and shoots five powerful particle beams at the Strike Freedom. The machine deliberately stayed in place, swerving to the side at the last possible moment, coming out with out a scratch "What is that machine? And why did it attack us?"

"Damned if I know!" Brandon seethed, as he drew a large claymore from the back of the Blue Frame. "It looks too much like Carrus' mobile suit…"

"I noticed…" Lawrence glared, changing the tactical arms again, this time to sword mode and yells to Brandon "Tactical plan three, two, zero, two! Floating swords!

"Roger!" Brandon confirmed, as the pair dived. "Time for some action..." They both flew down, around the Strike Freedom and started zigzagging in perfect harmony, the Strike Freedom paused, watching the Astrays movements carefully, as they both flew past him, the Strike Freedom responded quickly, drawing both Beam Sabres, making Carrus clench his head in pain.

"NO DON'T!" The Strike Freedom acted quickly, cutting through forearms on the Astrays with a single swipe, as its Dragoons burst from the sea, cutting the Astrays to ribbons before Lawrence and Brandon could even react. It looked up at the Eternal Freedom, its golden eyes flashed, but Carrus felt more like he was glaring down into his own father's eyes. "Damn… DAMN YOU!" Carrus drew his beam sabres, and launched all his Dragoons, knowing that the Eternal Freedom and the Strike Freedom were parallel in performance, but caring little, he swung down, as Kira blocked without a word. "Why? Why are you here old man? Just what the hell are you trying to do?"

The Strike Freedom and the Eternal Freedom shifted their sabres around, a torrent of sparks echoed from their swords, when the Strike Freedom pushed the Eternal Freedom back. Carrus was frustrated, he had no idea what made his father so much better than him in a mobile suit. Suddenly, Kira turned, flying back towards Orb suddenly, making Carrus yell further. "DAMN IT! DON'T YOU RUN FROM ME!" Carrus surged forward, following Kira as closely as he could. The pair flew through the ocean surface, causing a column of water to part for them.

* * *

"What's that? The Eternal Freedom is engaging the Strike Freedom?" Athrun roared, approaching the command console."

Ensign Spar was the first to answer, as he watched his screen carefully. "Confirmed! Red Frame and Blue Frame have been shot down, no injuries to the pilots, sir... and it looks like both the Eternal Freedom and the Strike Freedom are heading here!

Athrun scowled, he knew immediately that Kira was behind this. "Where are they going? Can you tell Sparks?"

"Little difficult for now…" the Ensign analysed, when he saw the blips on his screen touch down. "Confirmed! They're heading to the war memorial at the peak of Nara Autha Cove!"

"Kira..." Athrun grimaced as he thought of what to do. "I'm heading out there, get Mayu Hawke to meet me in the mobile suit hangar!"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Mayu prepared her Strike, watching as her special IWSP pack was mounted onto the back of her mobile suit. She began boarding into her cockpit, when she saw Athrun emerge into the hangar, accompanied by chief representative Cagalli Yula Autha. She began to wonder what exactly was happening, and why it required the two most important members of the Orb union.

* * *

Kira touched down at the top of the cove, as he stood by the memorial. He disembarked from his legendary Gundam, as he stood by the memorial. He waited patiently, as Carrus emerged, running up the hill, his pistol drawn. Carrus glared heavily at his father, aiming his barrel down at Kira, who simply looked at him with the same vacant expression he usually wore, almost as if he had a million thoughts running through his mind, and they had towered on top of one another to the point where they collapsed.

_**(M.N: Anna Ni Issho Datta No Ni, Feeling Remix)**_

"KIRA!" Carrus glared constantly, feeling the hatred of his father looking at him, after appearing out of nowhere and attacking both him, and Lawrence and Brandon for no given reason. Carrus breathed heavily, as he pulled the stock back, his eyes showed shock, anger, and confusion. "You appear and attack my friends for no reason! Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Carrus!" Carrus looked up as soon as he heard Mayu's voice, seeing a Strike land close by, carrying a pair of figures in its hand. Touching down, Athrun and Cagalli slowly strode towards Kira, when Athrun waved his hand to Carrus, telling him to lower his weapon. Carrus hesitated, but lowered his firearm.

"You have a funny way of testing my pilots Kira..." Athrun chuckled, making Carrus' eyes widen in disgust.

"Sorry Athrun…" Kira smiled. "I should have talked to you first, but you and I both know that Chairman Viper and the president of the Earth Alliance are dragging this war out too long."

"We noticed." Cagalli answered, as she took another step towards her brother.

"What the hell is this?" Carrus roared. "He appears and shoots down Lawrence and Brandon for no reason, and yet, you greet that bastard?"

"Carrus…" Kira whispered, knowing that he must have had a part in his son's anger. "I need to summon the Three Ship Alliance again."

"The what?"

"I see…" Athrun scowled. "Then Mayu, I need you to prepare to return home, with Carrus, and Brandon."

"Huh?" Mayu was taken back, unsure of what to say. "Why us?"

"It's your father we need to find." Athrun continued. "Your job is to find, and bring Shinn Asuka to Orb as soon as possible."

"Kira!" Cagalli called out, as she ran to his side. "What is going on? Why is all this happening?"

"I wish I knew Cagalli…" Kira answered. "But for now, I need you to keep doing what you best, I have to get back to the Eternal for now. Okay?"

"Wait!" Carrus yelled, drawing Kira's eyes towards him. "Why'd you build the Eternal Freedom, huh? You've proven that you're better than me in a mobile suit, so why? Why give it to me?"

"Carrus, I understand your distress…" Kira began, as he turned and walked away. "But I promise I will. Soon."

"Don't you DARE walk away!" Carrus yelled loudly, as Kira kept walking. Carrus glared for a long time, as he ran after Kira, when suddenly, Mayu lowered her Gundam's arm in front of him, blocking his path. "Mayu! Let me through!"

"I can't!" Mayu cried, as her cockpit opened. Mayu slid down the torso, throwing herself into Carrus' arms. "I can't… I couldn't let you chase down your own father… not ever…"

Athrun looked at Carrus, feeling tears slowly well up, understanding the pain Kira was putting himself through. Cagalli passed him, stroking his arm gently, she whispered to him. "Athrun… Kira can do this, just give them some time. It's how families work. Don't worry… okay?"

"I honestly thought Carrus had begun to accept Kira..." Athrun answered.

"Just give it time." Cagalli smiled, trying not to let on her concern that Kira hadn't aged a day. She turned, seeing Carrus had begun to cry, as Mayu embraced him, trying her best to comfort him. "Think he's a Newtype like Kira?"

"I don't know." Athrun sighed. "I hope not, Kira always said that Newtypes are the most miserable people in the world, some turning to destruction to find peace." Athrun turned away, leading Cagalli to the convoy of cars that had just arrived.


	9. Fleeting Happiness

**Chapter 8: Fleeting Happiness**

"You want us to WHAT?" Carrus exclaimed.

"Take the next eighteen hours off. I'd say it's been a while since the two of you had some time off, correct? So, the two of you will have until tomorrow morning when you leave to do what you want." Athrun chuckled slightly. "In short, I'm ordering you two to go on a date."

"Are you serious?" Carrus' reaction made Mayu giggle, as she blushed slightly. "Shouldn't we do something with the departure?"

"You have a large crew who can take care of the preparations. Get some R & R, both of you, especially Carrus, will need it."

"Thank you Athrun!" Mayu smiled.

* * *

Kayos flew out of the cockpit of the Gale strike, leering at the engineers who made their way to his machine. "YOU TOUCH THAT AND YOU DIE!" he yelled at the man. "IT'S MY GUNDAM I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!" Soaring into the corridors of the ship, he seethed past everyone who passed him, stopping when Weiss appeared in front of him.

"Where's Twi?" Weiss asked, knowing that he didn't return before him.

"I thought you would re-deploy so I figured you would know…" Kayos answered.

"I wasn't cleared, apparently we weren't allowed to re deploy in the first place, not our mission and all that crap." Weiss mumbled.

"Tell them we put a hole in Celestial Being, that was our mission and we accomplished it." Kayos growled.

"Sorry boss, I'm not one for chain of command" Weiss commented.

"Fine then wait for Raven And get news about Twi, if he's dead I may just end up killing someone in their sleep" Kayos told Weiss harshly, his day wasn't ending well. Suddenly, shouts of confusion were heard from the main hangar, and Kayos and Weiss flew back to investigate, when the pair saw a devastated GNX land, the frame was practically wrecked, its limbs were shot off, and yet, Raven flew out the cockpit.

Weiss' was shocked, seeing Raven emerge in such a unit. "Hoooooolllyy shit, what happened to you?" Weiss asked, rubbing his hands along the ZAFT unit.

Raven sighed, grabbing a bottle of water and squirting it into his face. "Noir got ripped to shreds, barely ejected in time." Raven began to laugh, making Kayos uneasy. "Either way... I'm not flying for a while..."

"Lame, alright, but what about Twi. Did he die?" Weiss asked, actually showing an emotion for the first time to a fellow crew mate, he was worried, everyone was. Twi being an extended meant he wasn't common.

Raven chuckled slightly, amused at Weiss' concerns. "He's fine... Setsuna F Seiei is too soft to kill him... But so is that kid... Carrus…"

"So it was the Freedom that got you huh?" Kayos asked.

Weiss turned to Kayos, eager to spread the news as Kayos approached. "Sir, Twi's alright. From what Raven has said he…"

"I heard!" Kayos snapped. "Go back to the room, and from here on out, I'm NOT going to be as easy on you" Kayos waited for Weiss to leave before he slammed his fist into the GNX Raven appeared in. "IM going to kill all those Orb and ZAFT fuckers if they harmed Twi! God damn it I swore id never call him this but HES LIKE MY DAMN SON!" Kayos agonizingly groaned. "Someone should call command tell them I want a meeting, I WANT TWI BACK!" He yelled.

"Shut up will you?" Raven growled, making Kayos glare at him. "Don't beat yourself up. I should've figured out that Setsuna was on board... and the Freedom's more dangerous than I thought. That DEFINITELY ain't a nuclear reactor powering it... Something else is there…"

"It's my fault he's a Prisoner…" Kayos groaned.

"Not this time." Raven answered, remembering the feelings he felt fighting Carrus, his Quantum brainwaves connected with Carrus, but the feeling was erratic, confusing. "I'd say that we all got too arrogant. Before, it was a matter of fighting the Freedom... now, if my custom Noir was destroyed, I'm gonna need something else, and that GN drive up there is the key..."

"Of COURSE we got too arrogant! I totally agree! I just wish I was there, I could've saved Twi…" Kayos groaned, sitting on the floor, his head in his hands. "Raven...What are they going to do to him?" His eyes were obviously watering but he was holding the tears back.

"Why, want revenge? Then don't be afraid to show that spirit later." Kayos was shocked, he never expected Raven to be the one comforting him. "I need you at the top of your game, and with any luck, we could score more of those GN drives, on intact mobile suits too. Look, I want to get back at the Yamato kid, but now isn't the time." Raven flew off, leaving Kayos alone. As Raven flew through space, he smiled, pulling a small disc from his pocket. "After all, I need more power if I want to beat the Yamato kid, and the PLANTS are where I need to go if I want to get that power I need. Right… Shadow?"

* * *

"I can't believe THIS is a mission…" Carrus sighed, feeling the itch of his civilian clothes.

"I'm GLAD we got this mission!" Mayu giggled, as she walked down the pier with Carrus at her side. The street was littered with shops, restaurants and other similar places. Orb was truly unaffected by the events of the world, despite the rising tensions, it always remained as calm as it could until war was on Onogoro Island's doorstep.

"Mayu, we really should be leaving. Especially since we still have no idea what happened to Lotte and Kat."

"But we can't leave until the ship's ready!" Mayu smiled, trying to get Carrus to relax.

"Then we need to HELP it get ready."

"But Athrun said he'd shoot you off the Mass Driver if you did!"

"But that's…" Carrus stopped, knowing he was going to lose this argument. "Tch, fine. FINE. I see how it is…"

"Good!" Mayu giggled. "Now! In between the two of us, we're freaking rich because we never got a chance to spend anything, so, what do you wanna do?"

"…I don't know…"

"Wanna make out?" Mayu smiled, tapping Carrus' nose.

"Not now…"

"Wanna make out… in bed?" Mayu laughed, making Carrus cringe and sweat nervously as Mayu wrapped herself around him.

"What? Seriously?"

"Gosh… RELAX!" Mayu giggled. "You're so uptight! Come on, let's get something to eat!" Mayu held Carrus' hand, walking him to a Thai restaurant on the waterfront.

"Mayu! Wait a moment!" Carrus yelped, while being dragged along, until he suddenly stopped, when something in his head made him look behind him. He swore he felt someone following him.

"Carrus, come on!"

"Huh? Oh right…"

* * *

Mayu smiled while she ate her dessert, her taste buds craved more sweetness as she stuck her spoon in her mouth. "I officially LOVE deep fried ice cream!" Mayu giggled as she chomped down. "It's like putting two of the best and most unlikely things ever, and it works. NOM!"

Carrus hinted a slight smile at her while she ate again and again. He didn't feel much like anything sweet to finish his meal. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that someone was watching him and Mayu. He watched all around him, trying to understand the nature of his uneasiness. "So… Lawrence said you were worried about me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Mayu smiled, as she took another bite. "You sounded really down in our phone call."

"…Sorry…"

"NO! APOLOGY!" Mayu sung, quoting one of her favourite classic rock bands. She giggled a little at her reference to Bon Jovi. "Seriously though, there's no need. After all… mister Yamato did appear out of the blue…"

"It's not that he appeared that bothers me, it's that he shot at us for no reason…" Carrus lost himself in thought, often contemplating just how it came to him nearly shooting his own father.

"I think he just wanted to see you." Carrus looked up, confused at Mayu's answer. "Maybe he thought that you wouldn't pay attention to him if he simply passed you by… after all. You ARE a doofus!" Mayu began to chuckle, knocking Carrus on the head lightly.

Carrus began to smile, paying the bill, standing up, and suddenly wrapped his arms around Mayu. "YOU'RE the doofus!" He laughed.

"Help!" Mayu laughed as they left the building. "Not fair! Not fair!" She giggled constantly as the pair wandered out, and a pair of shadows followed them as they wandered down the streets, while they playfully cuddled with each other. Mayu's eyes widened suddenly, when she spotted something in the window of a dress shop, making her squeal loudly. "Carrus! I'm going in! I'll be back!"

Carrus chuckled. He knew there was no stopping Mayu at this point. "Go on, I'll catch up in a moment."

"Okay!" Mayu squeaked, running inside the store to look at a long flowing green and yellow dress that seemed to flow down the mannequin in sat on. Carrus chuckled to himself as he turned away, walking down the street.

Carrus looked in a window, confirming the same two figures that he saw at the restaurant. Turning into an alley, he turned to the side, waited for the two strangers to pass, when he grabbed both of them by the neck, slamming them against the wall. "All right! Got you two…" Carrus stopped, when he realised that he held Brandon and Lawrence in his grasp, making him sweat anxiously.

"Hello to you too…" Lawrence growled, while Brandon said little to Carrus.

"WAH! I'm sorry!" Carrus squeaked, letting the pair go. "What are you two doing anyway?"

"Athrun wanted to make sure you were ACTUALLY relaxing…" Brandon answered without so much as a smile.

"After all, you were set on helping us at the ship, but you need a break. After all, Kira Yamato's appearance did shock everyone, especially you."

"Yeah… I know…" Carrus sighed. "But don't you think given the state of everything going on, I should do all I can to help with the war effort?"

"No, I don't think so." Lawrence answered. "It's important to take a break, especially since you don't know when the next time you'll get such an opportunity to have fun, and if you don't, you may just get too tired from the same job over and over again, and you'll end up becoming more trouble than help."

"Well…" Carrus thought for a moment, making Brandon roll his eyes. "I suppose that makes sense…"

"So, you go back to her." Brandon grumbled. "After all, she's waiting for you…"

"Okay… will do!" Carrus chuckled, as he ran back to Mayu's side, as Lawrence looked at Brandon with a smug look on his face.

"'Go back to her'?"

"Shut up…" Brandon moaned.

* * *

Mayu skipped along with her new dress in a stylish paper bag, latched onto Carrus' arm as they approached their barracks. "Talk about a fun evening…" she giggled.

"Yup…" Carrus smiled, looking longingly at Mayu, who looked at him, a little confused.

"What's with you?"

"Hm?" Carrus said, snapping out of his trance. "Oh… I'm just admiring you…"

Mayu smiled slightly, her face lit up nearly as red as her hair. "Well thank you… although my face is prettier than my boobs, silly!"

"Huh?" Carrus yelped, realising he was gazing at her chest. The pair stopped outside Mayu's front door, when Mayu opened her door with a giggle.

"Busted!" Mayu smiled. "So…"

"So…?" Carrus looked at her, puzzled. The pair stood still for a number of moments, not sure of what to do next, when Mayu held Carrus' hand and kissed him on the cheek. "Mayu…" Carrus whispered, as he lowered his gaze, kissing Mayu on her neck lightly.

"We… could go inside…" Mayu smiled, as she pulled Carrus inside and pulled the door closed, kissing Carrus on his chest.

"Wait…" Carrus stopped, pulling back. "We…"

"Oh… oh god…" Mayu gasped, thinking she had done something wrong. "I'm so stupid! Sorry!"

"For what?" Carrus smiled. "I can't help it that I'm so attracted to you! It's not you it's… us not having… you know…"

"Not having what?" Mayu sadly moaned, falling on her bed.

"You know… err…" Carrus stopped, trying to get his words together. "Protection…"

"Oh! Condoms!" Mayu laughed, making Carrus cringe at the word, when she stood up, reached for her bag, and rooted through it, pulling out a small box.

"What? I was talking about…"

"So you DON'T want to…" Mayu blushed, realising she had made a mistake. "Not again…" She looked down, only to have Carrus grab her chin and kiss her longingly.

"I am SO regretting this later…" Carrus whispered, embracing Mayu tightly, as the pair fell onto Mayu's bed.

**_(Ending: Life Goes On, Mika Arisaka)_**


	10. Return to Augustus

**Chapter 9: Return to Augustus**

**_(Opening: Ignited, T.M Revolution)_**

Carrus cringed, feeling the sun beat down on his face through the curtains. He opened his eyes gently, to notice Mayu at his side; the pair were under the covers of Mayu's small single bed. Curious, Carrus raised the sheets, his face lighting up at what he saw.

"Freaking pervert!" Mayu laughed, making Carrus yelp and fall out of bed. "Had to get another look, huh?"

"I…I…I'M… SORRY!" Carrus apologised.

"It's okay…" Mayu smiled, curling in her bed. "After all, I'm pretty sure that we're SO far beyond the friend zone that clothes don't mean anything! Oh, and I can see you!"

"…Yeah… I see you too…" Carrus answered with a naïve tone.

"Noooo… I see YOU…" Mayu giggled, pointing between Carrus' legs, who turned a bright shade of red, and covered the source of his embarrassment. "By the way… don't worry, you'll get better! And I'm more than willing to help!" She added with a wink.

"Huh?" Carrus asked with a confused look on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"Your TECHNIQUE, mister ace pilot!" Mayu laughed, eagerly smirking at Carrus' reaction.

* * *

Athrun watched as the Izumo class warship, Yamamoto was loaded with supplies and machinery. He watched carefully as the Eternal Freedom was loaded, alongside the Gundam, Unicorn. Athrun turned, receiving a report from an officer. He read through it carefully, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight, Lotte and Kat were confirmed to be still alive, and en route to Orb, after the Harute received repairs. Turning around again, he saw Carrus skulking besides a cheerful Mayu.

"Well, you look chipper Mayu!" Athrun smiled. "Had a fun night?"

"Of course!" Mayu giggled. "We did lots and lots of things! Especially Carrus! Right?" Carrus never said a word; instead, he crossed his legs and blushed.

"Sounds action packed… what were you doing?"

"We… went around town!" Mayu smiled. "Through coins down a well… rocked on a boat… and…"

"STOP GOING ON ABOUT SEX!" Carrus yelped, making Athrun raise an eyebrow, and everyone in the hangar who heard him burst out in laughter.

"Riiiggghhhttt…" Athrun chuckled, handing some files to Mayu. "Anyway, there are some files for you Mayu, you're the commander on this one, so I'm promoting you to Lieutenant permanently, and you'll hold a temporary rank of Lieutenant Commander, okay?"

"Wow! Thank you Athrun!"

"That's Admiral Zala, Hawke, and don't you forget it…" Athrun scowled, reverting to his military self.

"Yes sir!" Mayu giggled, saluting Athrun.

"Now go out, and bring your father to Orb." Athrun said, as he walked off.

"Great… I can't believe you're a higher rank then me now…" Carrus sighed.

"Oh, and Carrus? If I catch any word of you and your superior officer having sexual relations, I'm throwing both of you into separate cells. For life." Athrun laughed, making Carrus straighten himself in terror.

"Dang it…" Mayu grumbled. "And we were getting to the hot part of the relationship… Carrus! I order you to get promoted!" She said with a smile and pointing her finger at Carrus' nose.

"You make it sound so easy…" Carrus answered, his eyes narrow with annoyance.

* * *

"Attention, all ships are hereby ordered to upgrade to level one battle stations!" In space, not six hours from New Arzachelles city, a group of Earth Alliance ships floated through the empty void on the dark side of the moon, as each ship launched all mobile suits. A total of seven Enacts left the ship, and eight space type Jegan s. They passed the wreckage of an Orb carrier, abandoned during the Requiem incident, each pilot failed to notice the cloaked figure inside the carrier, as its green eyes flashed. Inside, a dark grey haired man flicked at his controls, as his screens flashed constant scenarios.

"Well… looks like we're facing no more than some rookies. Not even worth my time here." Surging forward, his red and black Gundam burst from the shadows, flying into the depths of the debris belt, the enemy turned, sensing his presence. "Alice! Show me the data for route three, eight, five!"

"Roger. Tyler." A computerised voice chimed in; when Tyler spun through the shards of laser fire, moving so quickly none of the enemy could land so much as one hit on him. Spinning around, he cut down behind the enemy, taking out two Jegans with a heat rod that emerged from his left gauntlet, and a beam sabre in his right cut down an Enact. His suit transformed, turning into a two headed Dragon, which soared out of sight, disappearing behind rocks and debris.

"Crap!" One of the pilots yelled, having lost three comrades. "Where'd it go?"

"Calm down" The Squadron leader called out, as the red Gundam sliced through his mobile suit in an instant, striking three more with his heat rod, the challenge was insignificant to the pilot.

Tyler sighed, feeling a sense of being useless, being deployed in such a minor conflict.

* * *

Shinn's eyes darted to and fro across the road, watching the flurry of trucks and jeeps move across the roads. Their movements indicated the arrival of a vessel, not of ZAFT. His eyes narrowed, looking to his computer, where a coded message lay open. He had already decoded the message, and knew of what was being sent to him. All his thoughts centred on his old comrade in arms, Athrun Zala, who had given him an update on what was happening. A knock on the door caught his attention, making Shinn alert. Walking over to his computer, he deleted the message, then walking over to the front door. Opening the door, Shinn showed a look of surprise when he saw a Middle Eastern man in a blue ZAFT uniform, a FAITH badge on his chest.

"Shinn Asuka." Setsuna announced. "I apologize if I come at an inconvenient time but Chairman Adrian Viper wishes to see you, as soon as possible."

* * *

Mayu leaped onto the deck, stretching as the air of the colony she was raised on rushed through her lungs. "Home again!"

"It has been a while since I was here…" Carrus smiled, Brandon following him closely as he walked down the ramp of the ship onto solid colony ground. "How long has it been? At least five years…"

"That long?" Brandon asked, shocked. "You haven't talked to anyone in your family in over five years?"

"I tried not to see them… but I still sent letters and such to my mother and sister." Carrus answered.

"Speaking of, you wanna see them?" Mayu smiled. Carrus turned his eyes, slightly grunting nervously at the idea. "After all, it isn't fair I get to see my family but you don't, and you were gone even longer!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Maybe you should just go?" Brandon interrupted. "Girls are tricky to persuade anyway." Mayu giggled at Brandon's comment.

"Guess so." Carrus chuckled, as he walked over to Mayu's side, kissing her cheek gently. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

"So, why send a FAITH agent to do a regular soldier's job?" Shinn growled, as he walked over to his liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass of brandy and offering it to Setsuna, who waved his hand instead of taking it.

"He simply asked me to do this personally." Setsuna answered as simply as possible.

"Well forget it." Shinn responded, taking a sip from his glass. "I've finished with the current administration. Besides, I'm expecting visitors, AND you don't have a wife kid. When Lunamaria gets home, I guarantee you, she'll be pissed."

Setsuna nodded slowly. "I understand sir, but a soldier such as yourself should know that his duties come before his family."

Shinn turned, snapping at Setsuna. "And as a soldier, you should know that I outrank you by at least four ranks, even as a civilian, AND my orders have nothing to do with ZAFT at the moment."

"Orders?" Setsuna asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what do these orders entail?"

"Like it matters. Either way, you should leave; my daughter will be here soon. So are you done? I know you're some big war hero, Setsuna F Seiei, but once Luna gets home, I guarantee you it won't be a pretty scene."

"You're well informed." Setsuna answered. "But my orders to bring you to the chairman, if I have to take you and your entire family to do so then I will." As soon as Setsuna finished, the door opened and several armed soldiers entered. "We'll just wait in the meantime for your wife and daughter to arrive."

"So that's how it is, huh?"

* * *

Carrus nervously stood at the front door of the Yamato mansion. He shifted in his Orb uniform as he knocked on the front door, uneasy at the thought of who might open the door. He felt even guiltier knowing he never said a word to either his mother or sister, and his father was the last person he wanted to know. The door opened, and next thing he knew, an orange sphere leaped out, whacking Carrus in his face.

"Welcome home Carrus! Welcome home Carrus!"

"Damn it Haro!" Carrus yelled, not even noticing the slender figure of Feldt standing in the doorway. Carrus' eyes widened seeing his older sister. "Feldt…"

Feldt smiled a little, opening the door further. "Welcome home Carrus." She walked forward, wrapping her arms around Carrus, crying a little.

"Sorry I'm a little late… I take it old man Kira told you what happened?"

Feldt nodded. "He sent me a message a few days ago… but I still have no idea where he is…"

"I doubt any of us will find out any time soon, he's taken the Strike Freedom again." Carrus sighed, turning his gaze from Feldt.

"He has?" Feldt yelped in shock. "I didn't hear anything about father taking off so suddenly."

Carrus simply chuckled as Feldt invited him inside. He followed his elder sister into the living room, when Feldt wandered off to fetch tea from the kitchen. "From what I can tell… I've got just a little bit of a tale to tell. By the way, where's mother?"

Feldt paused for a moment, as she poured hot water into the teapot in front of her. "She apparently has some work out of town on a new album."

"Just a cover I'll bet." Carrus answered, as Feldt brought out the tea and a pair of tea cups on a tray. "She's probably meeting up with this 'Three Ship Alliance' Athrun talked about."

"Another part of your story?" Feldt smiled, as she handed a cup to Carrus.

"Of course…"

* * *

Mayu watched out the front of the jeep she and Brandon approached her home. Brandon didn't say so much as a word as he shifted the steering wheel according to the lay of the road. Mayu looked carefully, when she saw an increase in ZAFT security the closer she got, and the thought worried her that her family could very well be in danger.

"It isn't looking too good Mayu… err… ma'am." Brandon suddenly began, throwing Mayu out of her day dream.

"Huh?" Mayu looked up, confused and alerted by Brandon's words.

"I'm talking about all the ZAFT forces nearby. Who would've thought they'd be so alert right about now?"

"Oh… that…" Mayu murmured. She looked over the horizon, spotting the destination of the ZAFT forces, she gasped, seeing fifteen jeeps loaded with soldiers entering her house. "Oh no… DAD!" Mayu burst from her jeep, running onto the grass.

Brandon reached his head out the window, reaching out to the rushing girl. "Mayu, wait!"

"DADDY!" Mayu ran at the house, grabbing the attention of a pair of soldiers, who grabbed her by the shoulders. Mayu squirmed, calling over and over again, grabbing Shinn's attention inside the house. Shortly afterwards, Brandon was already at Mayu's side, holding her shoulder and preventing her from taking any hostile actions.

"Well… that's her." Shinn smirked, his chin in his hands.

"Mayu Hawke." Setsuna casually said, looking over towards the guards holding Mayu. "Let them in."

The guards hesitated, pausing for a few moments before they let Mayu and Brandon in, lowering their rifles at the pair. Mayu looked up, her eyes widened at the sight of the ZAFT commander beside her father. "S… Setsuna?"

"I should have known you were related to Shinn Asuka." Setsuna emotionlessly expressed. "You are every bit as defiant as your father."

"WHAT?" Mayu and Shinn screamed and leaned towards Setsuna. Brandon leaped in shock at the pair yelling in synchronisation.

"I should've known the moment I saw you. You look much like missus Lunamaria Asuka."

"Ignore him." Shinn growled, walking over to Mayu, and wrapping his thin arm over Mayu. "After all, he's just full of hot air." Shinn looked up once again, glaring straight into Setsuna's eyes. "Even if I was a soldier, I'd still have no reason to listen to you. Leave, or I'll give a call to some of your superiors talking about your barging into my home."

"Funny you should mention being a soldier here." Setsuna answered. "Didn't you almost kill your wife in a fit of rage against Athrun Zala, due to your own uncontrolled anger, only to have her saved by him and then shooting you down a moment later?"

Mayu looked up in horror at Shinn, who growled at Setsuna deeply. "Dad? What's he talking about?"

Shinn seethed at Setsuna, who stood still without saying a word. "Bastard… What the hell do you know?"

Setsuna simply closed his eyes, not changing the frown on his face. "Still uncontrolled I see…" Setsuna turned, opening his eyes once more, looking at Mayu. "Listen, Mayu. Your father did exactly as I just said, at the Requiem cannon twenty… no… twenty one years ago." The commander then stepped away from the wall, several guards shooting nervous glances at each other. "Let's just hope that you take after your mother more than him, not just in your beauty..." Setsuna began, walking closer to Mayu when she waved her hand in front of her, nearly slapping Setsuna.

"No way…" Mayu glared. "I don't believe you! Not something like that!"

"It is very much the truth." Setsuna continued. "Isn't that why you aren't saying anything mister Asuka?"

"Like my father would do anything like that!" Mayu screamed, not noticing Shinn had fallen silent. "My dad would never hurt my mom!" It took a few moments of Mayu's heavy breathing for her to turn towards Shinn, who looked away from Mayu and Setsuna. "…Right?"

"How did you even know that?" Shinn whispered.

"He's… he isn't lying?" Mayu stammered, unable to believe what she heard. "Setsuna isn't lying about that?"

"He wouldn't know the first thing Mayu." Shinn began to smirk, as he flicked a switch in the wall behind him, several rivets in the wall opened, spitting out a thick smoke. As the ZAFT soldiers looked around, throwing their heads in confusion, Setsuna calmly drew a pistol, when a bullet flew, and Setsuna's weapon was knocked out of his hand. Shinn stood by, holding a smoking pistol. "Get going you two!" Shinn grabbed Mayu, then Brandon, shoving them into an opening stairwell behind the bookcase.


	11. Shinn Flies Again

**Chapter 10: Shinn Flies Again**

The sound of a gunshot echoes throughout the colony, grabbing Carrus and Feldt's attention. Carrus dashed to the window, where he saw smoke rise in the distance. Carrus' eyes widened when he realised where the smoke came from. "That's… that's Mayu's house?"

"What's happening?" Feldt exclaimed. Seeing Carrus run out the door, she ran out to stop him. "Carrus? Where are you going?"

"Mayu and Brandon are out there! I have to get out there!"

"Wait a moment!" Feldt yelled. She reached for the keys to her car out side and threw them to Carrus, who caught them. "At least get there quickly." Feldt smiled, sincerely gazing at her younger brother.

"Thanks sis…" Carrus smiled, running outside, he leaped into Feldt's car and turned the key.

Shinn closes the hidden basement wall, quickly reloading a fresh clip into his pistol. He wandered over to the edge, pushing another button, opening a slab of concrete, revealing a hidden elevator. Not even looking at Mayu and Brandon, he flipped a table onto the stairwell as banging on the wall outside started. "You two, stop dawdling and get in.

"What?" Mayu exclaimed.

"Sir, what is it you want?" Brandon asked, taking his own pistol from the holster on his belt.

"There should be a Core fighter at the bottom, prep it, and use the Impulse to get out."

Brandon looked at Shinn, completely shocked. "The… Impulse Gundam? You have it here?"

"But daddy-" Mayu started, when Shinn wandered to her, putting his finger on her lips.

"Believe me, nothing's gonna happen." Shinn chuckled, when he suddenly pushed Mayu onto Brandon, who pushed the button in the elevator, and the elevator zoomed downwards, just as a rifle butt burst through the wall. Shinn ducked behind the table, firing a pair of shots into the wall, hearing a thud on the other side.

Mayu silently stood still as the gunshots echoed in the halls above, as Brandon sat in the Core Splendour, checking and double checking, copying the OS for a natural pilot into the system. As he finished, he looked up to Mayu. "We don't have time. Mayu, we need to leave."

"I'm not going." Mayu answered.

Brandon climbed out of the cockpit, walking through the hangar and towards Mayu. "We don't have time for this Mayu. I'm telling you, you're putting yourself and your father in danger!"

"But I-" Mayu was interrupted, when Brandon punched her hard, just below her ribs. Mayu was winded, completely knocked out, she fell into Brandon's arms. Grabbing her, Brandon carried her into the Core Splendour, readying the fighter for launch, as the makeshift hangars loaded the remaining Impulse units behind him.

* * *

Shinn typed away, feeling the Impulse's engines in the next hangar. His fingers moved fast as he made all necessary checks to the unit's OS. "Neural links still working, N-Jammer canceller operational... Weapons? Online... All right then..." Suddenly, a pair of ZAFT soldiers burst around the corner, as Shinn closed a hatch in front of him.

"DAMN! How many tricks does this guy have?" One of the soldiers burst out, as the whole house began to shake.

Inside, Shinn watched a monitor, as the Impulse was directly launched into space. "Mayu… hope you'll be all right…. Well, guess this time had to come. Destiny, launching!" Shinn eased the controls back, making the soldiers jerk in shock, when they realised what he had hidden himself in.

* * *

Setsuna stood outside, as soldiers scrambled around him in a desperate attempt to understand what was shaking the ground beneath them. Setsuna's eyes widened when a large, metallic hatch rose in the back yard of the mansion, and a mobile suit emerged, a large blue suit, with the same facial features as a Gundam, but wearing a set of black and red wings on its back. Setsuna looked on the famous Gundam, the devil of Heaven's Base.

"The Destiny Gundam? He still has it?" Setsuna exclaimed. Shinn stepped the Destiny forward, its wings snapped open, when a pair of GNX's emerged, and the silver suits aimed their rifles forwards, making Setsuna raise his arm in distress. "Don't fire! You're still in the colony!" Setsuna looked up, as the suits kept their weapons trained, but didn't fire. As the Destiny spread its wings, a bright violet, red and green light, and the suit flew off, aiming for the spaceport. Setsuna growled, when the screech of brakes behind him, startled his every sense. Snapping his eyes around, he saw Carrus leap out of a blue sports car.

"Setsuna! What happened?"

"Carrus Yamato?" Setsuna blinked several times. "What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same thing! Is Mayu and Brandon okay?" Carrus was clearly frightened at what had happened, he had no idea what to think of what was happening, and Setsuna had no idea what to say.

"Shinn Asuka… he has rebelled against our needing to ask him some questions, and has tricked your allies into following him in his mad escape."

"Say what?" Carrus yelled.

"I'm sorry," Setsuna apologised, walking past Carrus. "But I have to go, I must stop him."

"Wait!" Carrus began, making Setsuna stop, and turn his head towards Carrus. "Let me get to the spaceport and get to my ship. If I can talk to him…"

"Get there as fast as you can if you want to get to him." Setsuna interrupted. "I have my own agenda with him. When I'm done with him, he's answering to me."

"I…" Carrus paused for a moment, forcing him to think carefully about Setsuna's words. "I understand." Carrus turned, and began running back to the car he arrived in. Setsuna turned as well, as the blue framed 00 Qan [T] landed in front of him.

* * *

As Shinn flew out of the closest maintenance hatch, appearing just beside the floating Impulse.

Brandon opened the comm with Shinn, who looked at him oddly, seeing Mayu's unconscious body on his lap. "Sorry sir… I kinda had to knock out your daughter to get out. She was so worried about you she wouldn't move without you."

Shinn chuckled a little hearing this. "Really? Right, well thank you in any case..." Shinn was alerted, seeing several red lights emerge from the far end of the colony. "We need to watch our step... One wrong move and this could turn into an incident between Orb and ZAFT."

"Crap, well they better not touch my unicorn if they go to our ship..." Brandon sighed. "But what do we do about those GNX's over there? Those are special forces, aren't they?"

"Yeah, and they're not going to fire on us this close to the colony." Shinn answered. "Get to your ship and get that Unicorn thing you're talking about. I'm going deeper into space to draw 'em away."

"What?" Brandon exclaimed. "Those things have GN drives! What chance do you have?"

Shinn laughed loudly, amused by Brandon's caution. "Those GN drives aren't that great... what are you afraid of?"

"Look, I'm just a Newtype! I just don't want to see people making the same stupid mistakes in a hope of being some hero!"

"Hero?" Shinn smirked. "I've lived too damn long to know that the only good heroes are the dead ones. Now get going, and get something that'll help us out here!"

"Ye…yes sir." Brandon stammered, turning to fly back to his ship, as Shinn flew deeper into an asteroid field, not noticing the green glow that followed him.

* * *

"Carrus Yamato! Eternal Freedom Gundam! LET'S DO IT!" Carrus fell backwards, the G forces pushed him into his seat as the Freedom flew towards the asteroid belt, where flashes of GN drives centred towards a flashing light. Carrus watched the battle in the distance, trying to understand what was happening, when a mobile suit approached him, the Impulse, and opened a comm with him. Carrus looked in shock, seeing Mayu on Brandon's lap.

"What the hell?" Carrus over reacted.

"Not the time…" Brandon interrupted. "She… uh… hit her head, and I've got to get the Unicorn, I'll explain later!"

"Uh… yeah." Carrus answered, as the Impulse landed back inside the Yamamoto.

* * *

_(M.N: Youki to Bishoumi, Toshihiko Sakashi)_

"WHAT THE HELL?" A GNX vanished in a flash of light as Shinn fired his main cannon on the Destiny. Spotting a GNX behind him, he boosted with his wings, making a ninety degree turn upwards and around, drew his sword, and cut through the machine in an instant.

"That thing's twenty years old! How is it beating us?" One of the pilots screamed, when Shinn slammed the palm of the Destiny into the pilot's GNX, his palm cannon detonated with a blue pulse, popping the GNX like a balloon.

"RRRRAAAAHHH!" Shinn roared with a mighty war cry, thrusting with his sword into a pair of Flags, and with a draw of his beam boomerang, he threw it straight at an approaching GNX, cutting the unit in half. As the Boomerang flew back at Shinn, he reached the arm of the Destiny out and caught the weapon, sheathing it again. From the smoke of the GNX, the 00 Qan [T] appeared, and the first thing Setsuna did was open a comm with Shinn.

"Shinn Asuka, consider this your one and only warning. Surrender or…" Setsuna had no time to finish his sentence, when Shinn fired his beam rifle at Setsuna, who spun his shield in the path of the shot, the green beam stopping dead. "Did you hear me?"

"I heard…" Shinn sneered. "I couldn't hear you over the sound of all your other threats today, and frankly, I'm not interested in your crappy excuses for why I should go anywhere with you!" Shinn was quick to follow with his reactions, flying full speed at the 00, slamming his palm against the shield, and firing his palm cannon, throwing Setsuna backwards. Setsuna grimaced, aiming his beam rifle at Shinn, he fired off his sword bits and a beam, all shots flew at Shinn, who blocked the beam with his shield, and flew around three of the sword bits, knocking one away with his shield, cutting threw another, and catching the last, detonating it with his palm cannon. "So stop pretending you're some kind of champion of the people!"

"You really think that is what I'm trying to do?" Setsuna growled. "Then I will show you the error of your decision!" Setsuna surged forward, thrusting his GN sword at Shinn continuously, who blocked his every strike with his beam shield, and swung with his own sword. The pair locked, spinning around in space. Shinn was quick to react, kicking Setsuna away, he thrust again, piercing Setsuna's raised shield. With a grimace, Setsuna spun his controls, and threw his shield back into position, sending Shinn's sword into space before Shinn could stab into the 00 completely.

"Not bad for a KID!" Shinn roared, his wings sparked to life, as he spiralled around, Setsuna withdrew all four Sword bits, lining them with his GN sword, firing a beam through the centre, forming a full beam sabre through the centre, his GN drives began to spin wildly.

_(M.N: Trans Am Rasier, Kenji Kawai)_

"You have been warned… TRANS AM!" The 00 began to glow a crimson hue, as Setsuna charged, Shinn rushed at him, and with a roar, he thrust both palms into the 00, firing the palm cannons, only to stab into thin air as the suit quantized out of space.

"What the hell?"

"PERISH!" Setsuna's voice roared over the comm, taking Shinn by surprise, when his alarm sounded to Setsuna appearing behind him, slicing down with his Raiser Sword, when a pair of railgun rounds, smash into the side of Setsuna's suit, making him roar in shock. "Who could have known about my Quantum field?"

"Who else?" Setsuna looked to the source of the shot, seeing a blaze of blue light appear right in front of him, the Eternal Freedom flew at him, aiming his beam rifles at Setsuna. Setsuna looked at his comm, seeing Carrus appear on screen. "This is YOUR only warning Setsuna! Let Shinn go, or I'm kicking your ass!"

Setsuna gasped, seeing Carrus' eyes, not only were they glowing golden with quantum brainwaves, his pupils had disappeared, a phenomenon not seen before. "Carrus? What is…?"

"You said you needed to ask him something! Why are you attacking him?" Carrus roared, firing a full burst at Setsuna, who spun out of the way, firing his GN Buster Rifle in retaliation at Carrus.

"He never listened to what I have to say! Why should I spare any favours for him?"

"Don't tempt me to think of a reason!" Carrus snarled, spinning near Setsuna, and with a quick draw of his sabres, he struck down, as Setsuna struck, blocking Carrus.

"What about you? You were the one who claims he loathes the idea of fighting!" Setsuna was vicious, quantizing again, below Carrus, who caught the GN Sword with a pair of Dragoons.

"But you… you would harm Mayu's father! And for what? Because he forced you to disobey your orders? To resort to this?" Carrus sent four Dragoons into a berserker state, as they fired again and again, tearing gradually at Setsuna's hull to little success, scoring no more than scorch marks against the surface. Setsuna retaliated quickly; his Sword Bits flew into the limbs of the Freedom.

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Carrus and Setsuna stopped suddenly, when a new voice broke into the comm, sounded by a series of flapping noises.

"Got their number! Got their number!"

"That voice…" Carrus reminisced. "That's… Haro? Feldt?"

"Carrus! I didn't expect you would fight just outside, this close to the colony!" Feldt's voice scolded over the radio. "And YOU Setsuna…"

"Wait a minute!" Carrus exclaimed. "YOU know Setsuna?"

* * *

**_Note from the Author_**

Sorry these took so long guys, had a lot going on, including idea for Devil's Rage and Fullmetal Dreams. So, here's two chapters instead.

Don't forget! Vaxy LOVES his reviews from his readers! ^_^


	12. Assault on the ZAFT Capital

**Chapter 11: Assault on the ZAFT Capital**

"What do you think Shadow?" Raven began, typing away at his laptop, not caring about Kayos, who approached him from behind. "Do you think it's worth pursuing a little more?"

"Hard to say…" Shadow answered, appearing in a holographic window in the corner of Raven's screen. "There are a lot of components to work with in this; I'd say I need more data on the GN drives, or even a second or third drive to help make sense of it.

"I see…" Raven answered, rubbing his fingertips into the corner of his eyes.

"Something up?" Kayos asked, peering over Raven's shoulder, who quickly closed his laptop.

"Nothing you should be concerned about." Raven smirked. "Just a private project."

"Well, it must be important if you're ignoring me…" Kayos growled.

"More than you know." A voice called. Kayos looked up when he saw a man, tall, blonde and wearing a highly decorated, black officers' uniform. Accompanying him was a shorter man, with long black hair and in a blue Special Forces uniform. He was very well built, though still fairly slim, giving Kayos a dark feel around him. "You should leave soldier."

"Who? Who are you?"

"Idiot." Raven chuckled. "He's YOUR boss, that's Admiral Casval La Flaga."

"What?" Kayos was thrown back, knowing exactly who he was. "The Black Meteor himself?"

"So get outta here." Raven answered. He watched with a chuckle, as Kayos shot a glare at Casval, and floated away, not saying a word. "Didn't think you'd come all the way out here, sir."

"Hello Raven." Casval chuckled, the man accompanying him looked around, watching the movements of the other soldiers. "I see that your own research is going well."

"Not without more data, and I'll get that at Januarius."

Casval let out a loud laugh, catching the attention of some of the mechanics. "I knew you wouldn't volunteer for a rescue mission of a pilot without reason! Might I recommend you capture one of their mobile armours?"

"Let me guess…" Raven smirked, looking into Casval's deep blue eyes. "You want me to get one of 'em for your benefit?"

"When it comes down to it, ever since the battle for Jachin-Due, more specifically on the Gundam class suit, Providence, mobile suits with remote weapons have become more popular, now in use on mass produced weapons like the Kshatriya. I want them."

"And you got 'em." Raven answered quickly. "I was intending on capturing a suit like a GNX, but for something that needs two GN drives might just work."

"I thank you." Casval smiled, leaning on the wall next to Raven. "I have plans for weapons like that for my personal use, and in use for your new mobile armour."

"Oh?" Raven looked up, with a gleam in his eye. "So, you got my plans?"

"I like it, but I'm implementing a few changes in it. Namely the power source…"

"No, it's fine." Raven interrupted. "I know the risks of it, but I need the power on it, to destroy the Gundams, specifically the Freedom."

"Now that's a target to hunt…" Casval smiled. "All right, I'll keep it built the way you envision, but I want the Dragoons technology for myself."

"I'll get it. Guaranteed."

"I hope so." Casval responded coldly, turning to his bodyguard. "Shi, come." The large man stood up, and turned towards the exit of the hangar.

* * *

Adrian tapped away at his desk, watching Twi. Twi playfully twirled his fingers in his pilot suit, forced to keep wearing it throughout his imprisonment. His eyes ran constantly over his captor's office, his thoughts ran around in constant loops that only made sense to him and him alone. "Nice place…"

"Thanks Twi. I like it too." Adrian smiled. With a knock on the door, Adrian's assistant walked in to his office, holding a tray of various foods.

"OOH! Muffins!" Twi laughed, his handcuffed hands reached for a blueberry muffin, cramming it into his mouth with a grin on his face.

* * *

Raven parked outside the supreme chairman's office building. He was impressed at the Coordinators skill of making overly complicated and easy to destroy buildings. "Well, there it is. Remember, once you're in, you're on your own."

"And what about you?" Kayos asked while his eyebrow rose.

"I'm going to create a distraction; I'll steal one of those ZAFT mobile armours and wreck hell. You get in, and launch a flare once you get him.

"All right then." Kayos answered. "Don't kill too many of the Coordinators…"

"Sympathy towards those bastards?" Raven chuckled.

"We're not Blue Cosmos, Raven. So don't kill 'em too much…"

"You want Twi alive?" Raven sniggered, making the older soldier look at him in shock. "Then shut up and let me do things my way, other wise I'm leaving you two behind."

"What?"

"I have my own reasons for helping you, so make it on time, or you get left to ZAFT. Got it?" Kayos grimaced at Raven's cruel response, but nodded hesitatingly. "Just remember, they won't pick up on you being an Innovator, so use it to your advantage."

"Yeah." Kayos answered. With a flick of the handle on the car door, Kayos forced the car open and grabbing a violin case on his lap, he grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a grey fedora, put them on and made his way towards the front of the capital building. Raven turned with a smirk, pulling his jacket off to reveal a ZAFT red uniform, and started driving off towards the military hangars.

* * *

Kayos walked slowly up to one of the chairs in the front offices. Lowering the Violin case on the back of a chair, he sat on the chair next to it, his hand on the handle.

"Excuse me sir?" The secretary behind the desk asked. "Are you here too see someone?"

"Um… yes, and no" Kayos replied, pushing his sun glasses further up on his nose.

"Who exactly?"

"Adrian Viper..." Kayos replied while he was looking at some of the bland motivational pictures on the walls. "_Aaaannny time now Raven"_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Raven fired his sidearm three times, a bullet passed through the three mechanics' skulls. With a chuckle, he walked to the ladder leading upwards to the Kshatriya in the hangar. Settling into the cockpit seat, Raven reached to the back of his neck, pulling a small metal casing from a metal plate embedded in his skin, and places the casing into a slot in the console of the Kshatriya.

"Shadow, how's it look?"

"Drives calibrated, system recalibrated per your physical data… its good. Not as perfect as the Strike Noir, but you custom built that suit yourself anyway."

"The Dragoons on this suit will more than make up for that." Raven answered. "Get it started."

"Understood, linking up a complete Psychocommu system and readying all Dragoon units." On Shadow's words, the Kshatriya readied the Dragoons, and flew out the hangar, to find three Geara Zulus aiming an assault rifle at him.

"Oh yeah! You don't have the guts to fire beams in a colony!" Raven laughed menacingly, as he fired the beams from the wings on the Kshatriya, catching all the mobile suits, forming three large holes in the colony.

"Don't destroy it yet." Shadow said, his black dragons head appearing on Raven's screen. "Kayos still needs to complete his mission after all."

"Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

The explosions outside rocked the inside of the building, giving Kayos the chance he was looking for. Making his way past the reception hall, he passed the secretary; a knife lay in her throat. Drawing an assault rifle from his violin case, he ran up the stairs, readying for an ambush from ZAFT soldiers. Sure enough, a burst of laser fire flew from around the corner. Splitting around, he fired off several shots, taking down three guards in his one turn.

"Sorry… but I'm getting my man back." Kayos whispered, running through the hallway, and into an elevator down the hall. Pushing a button, he waited for the elevator to reach the top floor, reloading his rifle on the way up. A ring sounded, and the elevator opened its doors. Kayos sighed as the doors flew open, and bullets flew in the front door, ripping the wall of the elevator to shreds.

One of the guards walked forward, "There's no one in here sir" he said, turning around. Suddenly, Kayos' upper half came into view as he hung from the top of the elevator with his legs. The guards looked in fear, as two clicks marked him loading a pair of Submachine Guns. With a hail of fire from Kayos, the squad fell to their knees. Kayos dropped from the roof, then jumped up and slung his violin case over his shoulder, putting his weapons on a holster on his belt, picking up his assault rifle from the floor, along with a small spray can from the case. Walking towards the large wooden door in front of him, he aimed, and sprayed the contents of the can all the way around the door, pulled out a timed detonator from his pocket and placed it on the foam then walked back into the elevator and closed the doors.

With a grimace, he pushed a button on a remote in his jeans pocket, and an explosion rocked the building, killing the soldiers behind the door. "Now they KNOW I'm here…" Kayos sighed. Running down the hall, he tackled the door to Adrian Viper's door, and aiming his assault rifle as he flew through the air, he shot the two guards behind Adrian's desk, and landed on his feet.

"Heya boss!" Twi laughed, waving in the air at Kayos, who hinted a slight smile, catching the sight of Adrian Viper in his chair, looking smugly at Kayos.

* * *

Raven swung a beam sabre through an approaching Flag, and shot two Dragoons through a Geara Zulu that flew towards him from behind. The detonation shook the Kshatriya slightly with the Geara Zulu's detonation. "Damn. They're persistent…"

"Agreed." Shadow answered, monitoring the radar constantly. "You've got two Flags…"

"Above! I know!" Raven yelled, spinning the body towards the Flags, and firing the particle cannons through the pair, causing them to blow up in the large red beam that cut through them. "No challenge."

"Wait… we have six new contacts… they're not showing up on the database!"

"Say WHAT?" Raven turned behind him as a pair of red and blue beams scorched the two left wings. Looking at his attackers, he saw six Gundams, two black and green, armed with missile launchers and beam cannons, two red and armed with large swords, and two blue, with beam rifle and large shields, and each with a pair of Tau GN drives on their backs.

"Those are…" Shadow growled.

"Impulse Gundams…"


	13. Raven's Wrath

**Chapter 12: Raven's Wrath**

The two Blast Impulses opened the shoulder pods, and dozens of missiles launched, their Beam cannons streaking at Raven whose wings covered his body, and fell out of the line of the beams, and the missiles struck the wings dealing minimal damage, while the two Forces and one of the Sword Impulses flew straight at Raven, swinging at precision, when Raven's wings snapped open, knocking one Force away, and grabbing the forearms of the approaching Sword Impulse. With a small amount of power from the Kshatriya, Raven ripped the arms off, catching the falling claymores, clasping one in each hand.

"Holy hell! Those are heavy!" Raven growled. Spinning the sword around, he cut through a force, and as the last fell back and drew its beam rifle, a pair of Dragoons emerged, and before the pilot realised, the sharp beams sliced into the Gundam. After the explosion, Raven burst through, and stabbed into the Sword Impulse waiting behind it. "Dead again!" Firing his particle cannons, the Blast Impulses and remaining force flew around the attack. "These guys really know what they're doing, I'll give 'em that."

* * *

"Adrian Viper…" Kayos seethed quietly.

"Kayos Harbinger, I assume?" Adrian chuckled.

"That's right…"

"Well, hello then. Twi's talked all about you…"

"You da boss Kayo!" Twi sniggered.

"Really?" Kayos growled, raising his rifle to Adrian's grinning face. "Well it doesn't matter, after all…"

"You were paid to kill me?" Adrian chuckled, making Kayos widen his gaze. "Don't act so surprised, after all, it would make sense, you are an Innovator merc… aren't you?"

"How do you know that?" Kayos answered, his red hair started flicking with tension.

"I have my own sources…" Adrian reached for a bottle and a pair of glasses, pouring the brown liquid into each glass, and sliding one to the end of his desk for Kayos. "Let's talk business. I really think we should talk about your objective, like maybe what places you should attack next. I'm thinking America, Washington DC more specifically, would do well." Adrian chuckled a little, as he took his glass of scotch and drank the contents of the glass quickly, spinning his hat on his finger. Kayos eyed the glass, not taking it, but keeping his rifle raised. Adrian's golden eyes flicked over to him, a dissatisfied look grew in his eye. "You might want to lower your gun pal; it's rude to talk to people with an open barrel. Especially when those people could kill you in the time it takes you to close your eyes in the process of a blink."

"Make my day; the building would go up at the same time that happened." Kayos answered with a sneer.

"Martyr, huh?" Adrian chuckled, flicking a button that sealed the exit for Kayos. "Y'know I really feel like keeping you around more...in fact..." Adrian trailed off as the wall behind him fell down as a curtain to reveal a pair of Gatling cannons aimed at the space in front of Kayos. "I may not have to worry about the guards' pay checks now that they're dead but I do have to fill out all the paperwork for their deaths, and let's face it, THAT takes three times as long!" Adrian roared, flicking another button. Just before the guns started to fire, an immense sabre cut through the wall, ripping the wall apart. Adrian covered his face from the dust and gravel, but he barely saw the flash of an eye of a Kshatriya in the dust.

"How dull, that was easier than expected." Raven chuckled.

As Raven watched the frantic action, a group of soldiers burst through the office door, all of them aimed their weapons into the dust, failing to take too much note of a small object that was flung at their feet. One soldier looked down, confused at the small ceramic object.

"Is… is that some kinda dog?" Before he could react, the dog exploded, and a yellow gas erupted. From the smoke, Twi and Kayos ran, bursting into the halls, and down the stairs.

"WHOO! BEST DOGGIE EVER!" Twi laughed hysterically, flailing his arms about in ecstasy.

"Thought you'd like that!" Kayos chuckled as he leaped over a stairwell, submachine gun in hand.

* * *

Raven stared down at Adrian, who simply stood by, his hands on his hat and in his coat. Raven chuckled slightly, acknowledging his enemy's valour. "You've got guts to stand there like that!"

"Maybe so." Adrian smirked, lowering his hat with one hand over his eyes, showing only his wicked smile. "But at the end of it all, I got nothing to lose if you kill me."

"Say what?" Raven laughed. "You sure don't sound like a hero of the people! Who are you anyway? What is that you're after? Or are you just seeking death for salvation?"

Adrian smirked, and looked directly at Raven, showing a pair of glowing golden eyes. "Simple. I just want all of Earth destroyed."

"You want earth destroyed?"

"Yeah." Adrian sniggered; his joking nature had vanished into a truly sinister figure. "Naturals and Coordinators alike. They all disgust me how they are, and that wretched marble is what holds them back…" Adrian stopped, hearing a greater laugh from within the Kshatriya. He was curious, what had made Raven laugh so hard?

"You're joking! You STILL want to save humanity?"

"I'm out to destroy it kid…"

"Please, you said the Earth!" Raven interrupted with a sneer. "You don't care about killing, you just want to dominate and enslave, don't you?"

"So what if that's my intention? After all, immortality's no fun without a little power…"

"And there's another joke!" Raven continued to roar with laughter. "Immortality? Seriously? Has that little computer of yours got you thinking you can save humans by ruling them? What was its name again? Oh right… Veda."

Adrian's eyes widened in shock. His body began to tremble, a feeling he never understood before. "How… how do you know that name?"

"Don't act too surprised. You're not the one who made the damn thing after all." Raven laughed. "Even those GN drives are an idea given to you to secure your demise! And Veda's just an oversized, overworking thing of what I have anyway."

Adrian didn't know how to respond, his knees trembled violently, and his deeper subconscious was shaking in fear and hatred for Raven. "Don't… don't make me laugh! Even if what you said is remotely true, we've made Veda far beyond what you had imagined! For example! We can see the future itself with it!"

"The future?" Raven blinked, wondering what Viper meant, when suddenly, a fiery red rod lined with blades flashed in front of his cockpit, ripping a wing clean from the torso of the Kshatriya. "What the hell?"

"There you are." Raven turned, seeing a blood red Gundam with a central green gem embedded in the chest and menacing black and red wings, appeared from above, simply hovering beside a building. The voice that came from the communication line on the machine was dark and deep, which drilled into Raven's being. "I've found you at last."

"A new pilot?" Raven looked on the suit, and watched as a one-way vid comm opened, and he saw the pilot, a man with narrow, angry eyes, hidden behind a thick head of dark blue, nearly black hair. "So… you look like one pissed coordinator."

"What?" The pilot responded. "How can you see me?"

Raven smirked in his arrogance. "Just a couple of hacked data links. Can't believe I gotta explain that to a smart ass coordinator."

"Arrogant son of a bitch." The pilot answered with a growl. "You really are someone who I'm not gonna miss after I KILL YOU!' The Gundam lunged, drawing a beam sabre from a compartment on its wrist and slashing down on top of Raven's Kshatriya. Raven grimaced, flicking on a switch and raising one of the Excalibur's in the Kshatriya's hands to defend himself.

"Not bad!" Raven laughed. "But, you ain't got nothing on me!" As he said this, five Dragoons surrounded the Gundam, firing a stream of shots. Before the shots connected, the Gundam flew straight up, pushing the Kshatriya down with a kick. "What? He saw that coming? What are you, some kind of Newtype?"

"It's a combination of that and my Epyon Gundam!" The Epyon's wings flared, and flew around the Dragoon blasts, sending its heat rod through one, and slicing a second in half. "With my power and the Zero system, I have a perfect vision of what you will do!" With his roar, the Epyon pilot dashed through the buildings and in between the beams, just as a claw burst from the top of Adrian Viper's tower, which grabbed the back of Raven's suit.

"Now what?" Raven spun, cutting of the red cable that held the claw. He then saw it, a fierce green Gundam, it's arms were covered in silver spines, and the one claw that remained had a golden claw attached to the head of a dragon, the hand inside held a duel bladed beam spear. The red GN in its back burst forth continuous streams of GN particles.

"Impressed?" Adrian's voice rang from the unknown Mobile Suit. "My Altron is beyond the norm of many suits you'll ever see."

"How typical." Raven smirked. "I should've seen you'd play some tactics like that!" The Altron leaped, flying straight at Raven, who flew to the side as the chairman thrust at him. At the same time, Raven threw his wing, catching the Epyon off guard.

"Tyler! No screwing up now!" Adrian growled, as he flung his hand down to Raven, and a jet of flame blasted from its claw, striking the lowered shield of the Kshatriya.

"Aye chairman!" Tyler struck down with his beam sabre, when Raven suddenly spun; wings open, throwing Epyon into the ground. "What? How could I have not seen that?" Tyler barely had time to dodge, when Raven fired his GN cannons into the ground at the Epyon, swerving the beams with Tyler's movements.

"This ends now… after all, I've got a perfectly good GN drive so my mission is done!" With that, Raven's wings extended, and every cannon beneath his wings and on the torso fired, forcing the Altron to dive out of the way, as the beams crashed through the colony walls. Closing his wings as numerous holes opened up, Raven fired all cannons straight down, blazing through the floor below him.

"Are you insane?" Adrian roared. "Are you trying to get civilians involved? All this paper work you're giving me is pissing me off!" Adrian burst forward, spinning his spear in one hand, and threw it, with his claw at Raven, who watched as his Dragoons tore the claw off.

"I told you earlier." Raven grinned with a sadistic smile. "Enslaving people bores me, all I want is to make humanity pay, but I can't do that in my current state. So farewell Viper! When we meet again, it'll be on my terms!" With this, Raven dived, leaving the colony, and firing his particle cannon to boost his exit and deliver a final attack to the colony.

"DAMN IT!" Tyler smashed his fist against the console of the Epyon, as the Altron simply stared into the void created by Raven.

* * *

"Shit…" Kayos gaped in awe from the shuttle he was in, seeing the wrecked colony in the distance, as the damaged Kshatriya flew alongside his shuttle. "Why… why did he…"

"Look at all the pretty lights!" Twi smiled.

"Don't be happy about those Twi! That's just a sign Raven went overboard and killed hundreds of innocent people!"

"Innocent?" Raven's voice chirped in from over the intercom, grabbing Kayos' attention. "How is someone that does nothing more than watch a war on the evening news, and just say that it's bad news, possibly be justified as innocent?"

"What?"

"Those people are simply content that they live another day, as opposed to those who fight, and die. They just need to be shown that reality hits harder than they want to believe. They all need to learn the pain of war and massacre…"

"You're sick!" Kayos roared at him.

"And you're paid to follow orders." Raven smirked. "Hell, it's not like the Earth Alliance is any better than ZAFT, in fact, mercs like you are even worse than the innocents, cause you just fight for whatever so long as you get paid."

"That doesn't explain the massacre you committed there!"

Raven gave a loud laugh, his voice cackled with delight. "I don't need to explain my reasons to the likes of you, after all. You have your pal, right? Just be happy I didn't kill him and you earlier… or that I'm not killing you now either."

Kayos glare down the window, knowing that Raven was even more maniacal than he had anticipated. And yet, all he could do, was watch as the Kshatriya flew off ahead, leaving the empty shuttle behind in the emptiness of space.


	14. Reunion With Feldt

_**Chapter Thirteen: Reunion with Feldt**_

_Setsuna walked down the hallway along with several other ZAFT security, their feet echoed in the long hallway. "Uniform?" one of the guards asked._

_"Roger." Setsuna responded dusting his own down with his hands._

_"ID?"_

_"Roger." Setsuna patted his breast pocket._

_"The admission pass?" Setsuna stopped to pat his pockets but the guard tapped his shoulder, "I was joking kid."_

_Setsuna nodded as they continued down the hallway to a large wooden door with several guards who saluted to the approaching envoy. "Ensign Seiei?" One asked while Setsuna nodded in his response, "Please enter, the council is waiting on you."_

_Once Setsuna entered the council room he looked around in surprise seeing the room was bigger than he had expected and in fact felt very small in comparison, once Setsuna and the other guards arrived the moved along the meeting table where several of the council members were already seated and ready to start but__everyone still had to wait for Lacus Yamato, the Chairwoman of the PLANTs. "Guard?" one of the council members called gesturing to Setsuna who approached him, "Please head down to the main entrance to wait for the Chairwoman for us and escort her here." he said then turned back to one of the other council members._

_Setsuna nodded and walked away exiting the room and into an elevator. There was much chatter throughout the council, making Setsuna wonder how frustrating politics could be. "I wonder why the Chairwoman of all people is late to __a meeting of all things…"_

"_Her husband is out so she couldn't be late from stopping to converse with him…_

"_Her son is in Orb right now… isn't he living with chief representative, Cagalli Yula Autha?" Setsuna thought quietly to himself, ignoring most of the chatter that he deemed useless information. He entered the elevator, and waited for the doors to open. When the ring marking his destination, Setsuna left the elevator and stepped a few feet out of__it to see Chairwoman Yamato entering the building with several guards accompanying her, and a young woman, barely in her teenage years, with the same shade of pink hair as Lacus. The young girl walked out in a blue sundress that was beautifully designed to glide down the hall, but appeared a little tight on her body. Setsuna just stared curiously at her until he remembered to salute. "Ma'am." Setsuna said looking forward but his eyes moved back to the thirteen year old girl for a moment._

_"I am sorry for being late but Feldt was being a little troublesome with going" Lacus smiled, making Feldt sigh._

_"Mother I told you that I didn't want to come along, none of this concerns me." Feldt groaned. Looking up, her gaze caught the amber flash of Setsuna's eyes. "So what do you do here?" Feldt asked as she fixed her dress, being very much unlike her mother, and not comfortable in an elegant dress._

_"I work here as security right now but I'm a normal soldier, I'm due for a promotion to Lieutenant any day now ma'am." Setsuna responded as he, Lacus and Feldt entered the elevator._

_"That's very good, congratulations... mister?" Lacus said looking over smiling while Feldt stared out the window of the elevator and noticed a Gouf unit hovering after the elevator keeping its eyes open around for any dangers._

_"Seiei, Setsuna F Seiei… and thank you ma'am." Setsuna nodded with a salute. His gaze naturally drew over to Feldt who was watching the Gouf closely; Setsuna looked back ahead, his voice startled Feldt a little."ZGMF-2000 GOUF Ignited." Setsuna said looking over to her as she nodded, "An older model but it is still effective for now as a scout unit."_

_"Weapons are all the same." Feldt said, looking over her shoulder to Setsuna, "Weapons kill and that's all they do."_

_"Wouldn't it make sense for good people to control the weapons while the evil do not?"_

_"Then what would be the point of having weapons?" Feldt asked turned back away while Lacus turned the same way once the elevator slowed to a stop.__  
__"I'm sorry but I guess I can't say too much about such things due to being a soldier." Setsuna responded with a sad look in his eyes. A slight giggle surprised him, and when he looked up, he saw Feldt smiling at him._

_"And I can't say too much about weapons since I am a civilian." she said before the door opened for her and Lacus to walk out of._

_Setsuna tagged along behind the two of them as they neared the council room where several guards had taken up their posts__and all saluted as Lacus passed them, "Setsuna F. Seiei, reporting." Setsuna said calmly while Lacus passed him and Feldt stood next to him._

_"That's all." a voice called over, Setsuna looked over and nodded to Adrian, another member of the council. "We can handle it __from here; take Miss Feldt Yamato to do… well… whatever." Adrian said grinning waving away. Setsuna nodded turning away and walking away with Feldt following next to him while she continued to try to fix her dress._

"_Please don't worry too much Setsuna." Lacus smiled as she entered the chambers. "Take Feldt out to the city, I'll pay you back for any expenses, okay?"_

"_Yes ma'am." Setsuna answered, saluting to Lacus. Lacus chuckled a little, and she wandered into the chambers behind Adrian. Setsuna and Feldt walked out of the large building, heading towards the main shopping district._

_"I hate this stupid dress." Feldt growled while Setsuna sighed looking away, "At least I don't have to stick around that meeting with my mother."_

_"You should be happy that you have her, you could lose her at any time and you wouldn't see it coming." Setsuna said while they both continued down the halls toward a garden, "It would be a terrible loss." Setsuna added stopping to look at the water fountain in the centre of the square outside the council building._

_"Sounds like you know how that feels Setsuna." Feldt answered, while standing next to him seeing their reflections in the water where fish swam under them, "But I guess it could be easy for someone to see things in that way."_

_"It did." Setsuna responded._

_"Are you serious?" Feldt asked turning to Setsuna while he still stared at the water, "I'm sorry to make you think of that."_

_"I don't care; I don't even remember my parents well. They sold me so they could eat for a month anyway, couldn't care less. I hope they're rotting in a hole." Setsuna growled clenching onto the wood of the bridge feeling his anger grow, but he kept it well under control. Anyone else who was as angry as Setsuna would go insane and attack someone but Setsuna's expression barely changed as he only looked like he was deep in thought. Setsuna's hand loosened as he felt Feldt's hand touch his, Setsuna looked over surprised to see Feldt looking as concerned as she did._

_"Don't think about it. You're here now and you're fine." Setsuna stared at Feldt silently as she did the same with him, "Just think about right now Setsuna." Feldt smiled again which made Setsuna almost smirk until a loud beep came from his pocket. Setsuna pulled out his comm. and activated it to see a ZAFT commander._

_"Yes sir?" Setsuna asked turning away from Feldt._

_"You have new orders, return to the ship to test the new mobile suit model against EA forces that seem to be going to Africa right now. You'll accompany our forces and help drive them off is that understood?" The older man asked Setsuna._

_"Yes sir..." Setsuna responded slightly disappointed by the sudden order, telling himself he had to fulfil the Chairwoman's order. "I'll head to the ship right now."_

_"Do so." the commander said before he ended the chat._

_Setsuna looked over to Feldt again, "I'm sorry Feldt but I've got to-" Setsuna was cut off with her covering his mouth with her finger, "Mmm?" Setsuna tried to ask but it only came out as a mumble._

_"Go ahead. I know that you have to go so I won't make you late." Feldt smiled taking her hand back to her side. Setsuna stared at her for a moment before he nodded and turned away and started running off, "Setsuna!" Feldt called stopping him to look back over. "Please don't die!" she called over._

_"Roger that!" Setsuna called back before he ran off toward two other soldiers who followed after him. Feldt sighed turning away and started walking back to the council room still trying to get that dress to stop cutting off her breathing._

* * *

Carrus flicked his gaze around the hangar that he agreed to meet Feldt and Setsuna. He already saw the 00 Qan [T] landed and with its hatch open. Landing silently, Carrus opened his hatch, and drifted down in the low gravity environment, and bounced towards the empty offices in the distance. His body felt lighter in the lesser amounts of Gravity, but these ducts tended to be lacking in both air and gravity to begin with, a perfect place to hide a meeting with a FAITH agent of ZAFT. Carrus spun, entering an airlock, and into the offices. Seeing Setsuna, he lowered his gaze from his old ally.

"You made it." Setsuna quietly murmured, loud enough for Carrus to hear. Carrus nodded in response, just as Feldt entered in a normal suit.

"Hello again, Setsuna."

"It's been a while, Feldt." Setsuna answered with his usual frown, his eyes became saddened, knowing what he had done worried Feldt.

"How do you know each other?" Feldt and Setsuna gazed at Carrus, who glared at the pair. Carrus' face grew with contempt, knowing that his sister, and his enemy, try as hard as he wanted to believe, he and Setsuna were destined to remain enemies.

Setsuna looked away in shame, but Feldt looked at Carrus in worry at his angered expression. "You've changed, you seem more aggressive and troubled, brother."

"And you're still the same naïve, sheltered girl you've always been." Carrus growled. "And to top it off, you know Setsuna of all people? What is he to you?"

"He's… well…"

"She's a close friend of mine." Setsuna answered. Feldt turned to look at the determined look in his face. "It is because of this I consider you my fri…"

"Don't start with me." Carrus snapped. "You burst into the colony with 'peaceful intentions', break into Mayu's home, hold her father hostage…"

"Carrus!" Feldt yelled trying to ease his anger.

"And THEN you attack him outside the colony, in a high powered mobile suit that could tear this place in two?"

"I did not wish to hurt anyone, and there were no civilian casualties…"

"And your soldiers?" Carrus asked with a detesting glare in his gaze.

"Lecture Shinn Asuka about that." Setsuna replied. "He was the one pulling the trigger."

"And you're the one who ordered them to follow us! You didn't have to send them!" There was a long silence, as Carrus' gaze pierced Setsuna's soul. He knew, deep down that Carrus was right, and it troubled him he couldn't admit it.

"So why are you in the military?" Feldt asked. Carrus turned, seeing Feldt look at him as she said it.

"I'm only here to try and protect those that can't fight for themselves, that's all." Carrus answered. "I don't want to kill, and I especially don't want to send anyone to their death, but I will not tolerate mindless people who only kill or kidnap others because of something as stupid as someone's orders."

Setsuna felt hurt at his comment, but lightened when Feldt spoke. "Is that why you follow Uncle Athrun?"

"He seems to be the only one with his head screwed on the right way." Carrus answered, as he leaned against a desk.

"What about your father?" Setsuna asked. At this thought, Carrus' glare intensified, and he leaped to his feet, standing tall and with broadened shoulders that made Setsuna look much smaller than him.

"Mention him again, and I'll make you regret sparing me at Morgenroete!"

There was a long pause between everyone in the office. The silence was pained, as Carrus' fists trembled, his fists clenched so hard, his nails begun to tear the inside of his pilot suit. Feldt looked up after what seemed like an eternity, and slowly walked up to him. "Carrus… is it really that hard for you to understand father?"

"He left us alone Feldt! Is there really any reason to abandon the three of us like he did?"

"Well… no…"

"Then there's nothing more to say." Carrus answered with a sigh.

"Why must you despise him?" Setsuna asked, completely oblivious to the truth. "He is your father, and this war takes lives suddenly. Surely you should enjoy the time that…"

"Just shut up about things you couldn't understand." Carrus snapped. "What the hell would you know? All Kira does, is run around fighting other people's battles. He doesn't care about us, about friends, about any damn thing!"

Feldt's legs weakened, not wanting to share the same facts that Setsuna once gave to her, but feeling, deep down that Carrus may yet come to terms with Setsuna's words. "Carrus… Setsuna was sold as a child to the Earth Alliance…"

"So?" Carrus growled. Just the coldness alone that Carrus spoke sent a surge of anger through Setsuna's body. "He could just get adopted by our family, hell I'd be happy to leave for him."

"You would really take him for granted?" Setsuna roared, his eyes now flashed with a flame of anger, as he leaped to his feet. "You really think you can stand by and judge others just on their past?

"I can and I will!" Carrus answered. "Especially when that person has killed so many times they feel nothing for the lives they've taken!" Carrus' blunt anger induced shout left Setsuna stunned, Feldt was so overcome with shock at his words, she stood speechless, her eyes shook at Carrus' words, unsure of what to think. "I'm sick of lying to Feldt for you… you clearly never told her a thing. I've seen first-hand how you fight, I know what you've done… and yet you couldn't even man up and tell her about those lives you've taken?"

"Did you?" Setsuna murmured. "Or have you personally forgotten the seven ZAFT pilots you killed at Morgenroete?"

Feldt's eyes darted to Carrus, shocked and confused at the battle of wills going on between the pair. "I can never forget. I can only move forward, and tell Feldt that my hands aren't soaked with blood."

"Seven, Carrus? You never…"

"Thirty four in the Earth Alliance." Carrus interrupted, making Feldt gasp. "I didn't want to make you worry… but Athrun said it's easier not to worry the people you care about with the details of all your battles…"

"You're roped into this battle just as badly as I am, Carrus." Setsuna responded with cold intent. "You're hardly the last person to complain about…"

"THAT BASTARD IS THE ONE WHO GOT ME IN ON THIS!" Carrus roared. "He built the Freedom… I'm the only one capable of piloting it, and he built it for me! He made it so I would have to fight! Because of Kira… I'm the one who's fighting his battles… he just sits in space and watches as I tear myself apart…"

Feldt looked at Carrus with sadness, walking over to his side; she sat next to her younger brother. "Father… did he really do that?"

"I thought protecting everyone would justify my actions…" Carrus sniffed, a tear rolled down his cheek. "But all I've done is give myself more of a reason to hate him, and watch many more innocent people suffer because of the war…"

"Oh Carrus…" Feldt rubbed Carrus' shoulders, trying to console him in whatever way she could.

"I'm okay…" Carrus chuckled a little, trying to keep Feldt from worrying. "It's nothing… really."

"I… I apologize." Setsuna groaned, taking Carrus by surprise. "I really shouldn't have praised your father if it gave you so much discomfort."

"It's fine." Carrus answered, when his communicator in his pocket rang out, taking him by surprise. "Who on earth?" Opening the comm, Carrus moved to the corner of the room and answered promptly, making sure his tears weren't visible. "Ensign Yamato here."

Brandon's face flickered to life in the screen, taking Carrus by surprise. "Carrus! You should head back, an Earth forces vessel has spotted us, and they're giving chase!"

"They've what?" Carrus exclaimed, making Setsuna and Feldt look at him in confusion. "Okay… I understand… yeah I'm coming back now." Closing his comm, he turned his head, but walked to the doors of the airlock. "I have to go, the Yamamoto is in trouble."

"Carrus… be careful." Setsuna warned. "If the EA drags the fight out, ZAFT will get involved. I won't attack you now, but I can't stall the council when our colonies are in danger."

"…Yeah." Carrus answered quietly. "Feldt… get somewhere safe."

Feldt nodded slowly, willing to listen to Carrus' advice. "Okay…" With his sister's conformation, Carrus launched our, strapping his suit together and heading towards the Freedom, his confused mind now began to cloud every aspect of his judgement, right down to his opinion of Setsuna and Feldt. Climbing into the cockpit, he entered the torso and readied himself for launch.

**_(Ending: Enrai ~Tooku Ni Aru Akari~, High and Mighty Color)_**

* * *

**_A Note from the Author_**

Thanks goes out to CyberSlayer128 for writing up that fantastic flashback sequence loaded with Setsuna X Feldt awesomeness. Cheers dude!


	15. The Black Meteor

_**Chapter Fourteen: The Black Meteor**_

_**(Opening: Pride, High and Mighty Color)**_

Captain Hiagus zipped up his normal suit, as the alarms aboard the bridge of the Yamamoto loudly rang out. In front of him, Brandon and Mayu both stood by, Brandon wore a white Orb suit, the symbol of a red unicorn was on his thicker Pilot suit's chest and helmet to protect him from the effects of the Unicorn's heightened performance, and Mayu wore a silver and red pilot suit, with the symbol for two crossed rifles on her breast. "How long until they reach us?" The Captain called out, as he sat in the captain's chair.

"Roughly twenty minutes, total of seventy two Jegans, fifteen with anti-ship weaponry!"

"Captain, they undoubtedly know this is an elite unit." Brandon announced.

"I know." Captain Hiagus answered. "Hawke, this is your operation, so…"

"We're launching." Mayu answered. "Captain, the Yamamoto is yours again."

"Understood." The Captain answered. "Then you better launch now."

With a nod, Mayu nodded, and she and Brandon left quietly, opening the elevator to head to the lower decks. Mayu silently waited, her thoughts drifted off to the moment she woke up and heard that Carrus had left to meet Feldt and Setsuna. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Mayu woke up, seeing Brandon look at her with a worried look. "No… sorry, I was thinking about the mission… it's my first in space…"

"Carrus will be okay." Brandon answered bluntly, making Mayu blush.

"…That obvious?"

"You're in love with him; it's only natural to worry." Brandon smiled.

"Well… thank you." Mayu chuckled as the elevator opened. She reached out and grabbed one of the extendable poles that ran along the wall, and let the mechanism pull her towards the hangar as her feet lifted her off the ground.

"By the way… I really am…"

"It's all right… even I know I was hysterical back there." Mayu answered, knowing Brandon was referring to knocking her out in Augustus. "Let's just go back to being friends?"

"Yeah… friends…" Brandon grumbled, his face turning slightly red. When Mayu and Brandon entered the hangar, they saw some technicians preparing the Destiny, as Shinn floated outside, watching them prepare a Strike's beam sword in replacement of the one that Setsuna discarded earlier.

"Dad? What are you doing?" Mayu yelled in shock seeing Shinn still in his old ZAFT red pilot suit.

"What do you think?" Shinn answered with a raised voice. "You're crazy if you think ten Murasame's and two low-powered Gundams can stand up to over seventy mobile suits!"

"So you think getting yourself killed is worth it?" Mayu yelled back.

"Actually…" Brandon interrupted. "Mister Asuka is famous particularly for the scourge at Heaven's Base… Didn't you destroy over fifty mobile suits there?"

"And three Destroy class mobile armour." Shinn replied, a look of astonishment in his face. "Nothing to say of the battle of Daedalus. Never thought I'd meet a fan."

"Though I don't agree with your chosen allegiance in those days, I do believe your strength is genuine, sir."

"Thanks, I'll take that to heart." Shinn answered, with a slight smile.

* * *

Auel walked into the briefing room, holding his helmet over his shoulder. Walking in, he saw two familiar faces, leaning on one of the desks, was a tall, broad man with short green hair and piercing yellow eyes, who greeted him with a nod.

"Heya Sting II!" Auel laughed. "What's up?"

"Same as you." Sting nodded. "Been called in for this mission."

Auel looked into the corner, to see the slender figure of a young blonde girl with an incredibly attractive figure. "Even Stellar II, huh?"

"Yeah," Sting responded, looking at Stellar. "Casval must have quite a plan to gather us Neo-Extendeds here."

"Why'd he call us 'Neo' Extendeds, anyway?"

"Because your original selves were guided by Neo Roanoke." A dark voice called, making Auel and Sting look towards the door, revealing Casval, and his shadowy bodyguard.

"Shinigami Payang." Sting responded coldly. "What're you doing here anyway Shi?"

"Because I wanted him in the operation as well." Casval answered, his voice reaching Stellar, who turned towards him, and smiled with a large grin, as she leaped towards Casval with open arms. Casval chuckled, grabbing Stellar before she could hug him. "Well, glad to see you're still alive Stellar."

"You say that as if you thought I'd have trouble Lord La Flaga!"

"And you're still treating me like an Emperor." Casval laughed.

"I know it still annoys you…" Stellar giggled, squeezing Casval tightly.

"Back to business, I have a task for all three of you. I'm looking for Carrus Yamato, and I need the three of you to draw him out. There's one of two ways, either we trap him mid battle. Or…"

Shi then began, looking at Auel. "We capture the pilot, Mayu Hawke, who our spies have revealed has a close relationship with him."

"Can't we just kill her?" Auel answered with a bored look on his face.

Casval's face grew serious, his voice grew even deeper. "Auel, I want him at peak physical and mental condition. So don't do anything to harm either of them."

"Yeah, yeah. And you want ME to catch her, right? Can I at least do what I want with her body?"

"Give at a rest." Sting interrupted. "Just take the hint Auel."

"Okay… okay. Well, shall we?" Auel chuckled, looking at Sting and Stellar, who nodded at him.

"And Stellar?" Casval interrupted, as Auel and Sting left. "Shinn Asuka is with them, so I'm relying on… your former self's relationship with him, to bring him down. I'm counting on you."

"Yes sir."

* * *

The IWSP striker pack was loaded onto the back of the Strike, giving a jolt throughout Mayu's cockpit. "Mayu Hawke! Strike Gundam is taking off!" Mayu felt the G forces push her back, as she was thrown with her Mobile Suit's launch.

"Shinn Asuka, Destiny. LAUNCHING!" Shinn roared, as the Destiny launched, following a launch of Murasame's, his body not feeling the effects of the G's that pushed him.

Brandon watched, as a pure white shield latched to the left side of his Unicorn Gundam, and a large Beam Rifle attached to his right arm. Jolting, feeling another weapon on his back, he activated his three hundred and sixty degree camera to see a large metal casing. "That's a prototype Gatling Cannon…"

"Your beam magnum will only have approximately twenty five shots Links, so the cannon is for the small fry." Captain Hiagus announced over a comm.

"Thank you sir. Brandon Links, Gundam Unicorn, heading out!" The Unicorn trembled, as it launched from the catapult. Brandon was the last to leave, and joined in formation besides Shinn. "Mister Asuka, as our machines are the highest performing, shall we head to the front?"

"Highest performing?" Shinn asked. "That thing looks like it'll get shot down in close quarters with all that long range weaponry; it doesn't even have a beam sabre!"

"I'll manage." Brandon said with a serious glance.

"It's okay dad!" Mayu interrupted. "Brandon's got a couple of tricks up his sleeve, and the Unicorn is one of the four most powerful Gundams in Orb!"

Shinn took a few moments to look at the Unicorn, flying ahead of it. "It better, cause I'm not saving you if that thing gets into too much trouble."

"Understood." Brandon answered, when a series of beams flung at him from behind some asteroids. "Over there!" Drawing his Beam Magnum, he linked the targeting matrix into his computer, and the reticule showed on his screen. Tapping a few buttons on his holo-console, Brandon aimed the cannon at a pair of Jegans flying towards him, and he held down the trigger. Almost instantly, the Beam Magnum fired a stream of red beams at the pair, ripping both suits into shreds. "Damn, this thing's like carving a Beam Sabre into butter!" He watched above him, as two Jegans were cut in half by a pair of boomerangs, and the Destiny swung its substitute sword into another, swung around, then climbed at another, slicing an arm and leg off another. "Incredible work sir!"

"Eyes on the prize, kid!" Shinn yelled, drawing his beam rifle at a Jegan behind Brandon, and destroying it in a single shot. Suddenly, a green beam cut near his bow, as ten Enacts appeared from behind another asteroid, and ten more behind a belt of Debris near the Yamamoto.

"Damn! They were prepared for us!" Brandon roared, tearing into another pair of mobile suits, his spare arm grabbed his Beam Rifle.

"I know that, damn it!" Shinn roared, piercing the hull of an approaching Enact.

_**(M.N: Gundam Unicorn Theme, Unicorn Gundam OST)**_

"I'll get them!" Brandon answered, aiming his Beam Rifle at the Enacts in the distance, the Strike and Murasame's began to fight them off, and they had flown above the Yamamoto. "Perfect, my Beam Magnum won't hit the Yamamoto this way." With that, Brandon pushed the trigger, and a large white ball charged in the middle of the barrel, and a translucent beam fired from the ball, a red core marked the beam, cutting through four Enacts in the almost invisible field, erupting both in the invisible flame.

"Holy… what kind of a weapon is that?" Shinn yelled in awe.

"The Beam Magnum, it's basically a portable Positron cannon that can cut most barriers. And that's just one of twenty five shots."

"Twenty five?" Shinn exclaimed. "You're kidding! That'll never last!"

"I know, but a weapon like this is difficult to use like that." Brandon answered, firing another shot through one Enact as the formation scattered.

"Well, guess I was wrong about you and that machine after all…" Shinn chuckled.

* * *

Carrus looked on the battle in the distance as he left the colony. Setsuna's words struck him to his core, knowing in the near future he may have to fight Setsuna again, and now, he knew that there would be no avoiding that. "That battle's looking fierce; I hope that I'm not too late." He flew directly at the Yamamoto, avoiding the varying asteroids that stood in his path; his suit navigated the belt perfectly. Suddenly, a flash caught his attention to his left, and a green beam flew just in front of him. Almost entirely on instinct, he flipped over the beam, aimed at the same direction the beam came from, and fired. Waiting for a few moments, Carrus' eyes widened in confusion. "What the? No explosion? I'm certain I hit it!"

Almost instantly, a horde of beams surrounded the Eternal Freedom, and Carrus stopped before he was hit, and flew up as a beam flew at his legs. Suddenly, a black Gundam appeared, a large disc on its back, loaded with a variety of cones with beam cannons on them, swinging its wrist-mounted beam sabre at him. Instinctively, Carrus drew a beam sabre and threw it's sabre out of his face. "No way! What is that Gundam?" He pushed the unknown Gundam out of his way, when a second suddenly flew at him, firing it's large beam rifle at him. "DAMN! Another one?" Carrus drew his beam shield, deflecting the incoming beam, and firing his Positron Cannon at it, which rolled out of the shot. "These guys, what's with them?"

Suddenly, even more beams fired from below him, looking down, a third Gundam flew towards him, which started to ease up, and hover several metres away from him. "Now… what?" The other two Gundams followed suit, quickly sitting by the Freedom, as a familiar black Strike Gundam approached Carrus. "That mobile suit…! That's! RAVEN!" Carrus roared, aiming all weapons at the Strike, when the three unknown Gundams flew out of range, and the Strike Noir boosted to the side, and sped at him, quickly closing the gap in between the two, as he drew his beam Sabres, and clashed into the shields of the Freedom.

"You speak of Raven?" A dark voice replied. Carrus looked at the head of the Strike in shock, as a masked figure appeared on screen, his hair was black, and his mask had a half white, half violet covered in violent arrows. "Impressive you recognise the machine, but I am Shinigami Payang."

Carrus glared at his masked opponent. "So, you're another ace of the Earth Alliance? What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I am here to see if you are truly worthy of facing the Admiral!" Shi roared, kicking the arms of the Freedom out of the way, and kicking his chest, smacking Carrus into a large asteroid. Carrus yelled in pain as his head smacked into his chair, and Shi drew his two beam pistols, aiming at the Freedom, and firing several rounds. Carrus grimaced, his head swelled in pain, but he flew to the side, and fired off his railguns, as his hands clasped onto his beam rifles, when Shi flew behind cover.

"Admiral? Who could possibly be out here?" Carrus whispered to himself, deploying his Dragoons after Shi. "Come on Shinigami… where are you?" In his mind, he could see through all eight of his Dragoons, the view was distorting, but he was still able to concentrate on the battle. "THERE!" Carrus found him, and all eight Dragoons surrounded him, firing through the Noir, but it didn't explode. Instead, the frame burst, and flattened into a cloth. "What the? Is that…?"

"A decoy." Shi burst from behind some debris that Carrus' back was turned to, and fired off his two rocket anchors that gripped around the Freedom. Shi prepared his cannons, just about to fire a blow. "You really are more pathetic than I imagined."

"Guess again asshole." Carrus sneered, when two Dragoons flew from inside the holes of an asteroid, and cut the cables, and the six launched Dragoons cut through a derelict ship hull in front of Carrus, striking the striker pack on Shi's Strike. "No one messes with ME and gets away with it!" Carrus roared, spinning around, and fired his Positron Cannon, which Shi flew up to avoid, when his lower torso melted away.

"Damn you!" Shi exclaimed, as the explosion rocked his suit.

"Well done." A voice announced, taking Carrus by surprise, when a vid screen opened in front of him, revealing a broad, blonde man with piercing blue eyes, and a small scar above his nose, in between his eyes. "Not many people, even with the aid of Dragoons, can cross with Captain Payang and live to tell that tale."

"These guys are yours?" Carrus yelled at him in response.

"Come now, Carrus." The man replied, taking Carrus by surprise. "I wanted to test your abilities and talk, nothing more. Why must you be so cold?"

"You… you know my name?"

"Carrus Yamato, son of Kira Yamato. Famous for fighting, and defeating Setsuna F Seiei over Onogoro Island three and a half months ago, and defeating my dear friend Raven two weeks ago, whilst committing to re-entry I might add. Your name is quite famous in the Earth Alliance."

Carrus looked on his attacker smugly, trying to find a way past the three Gundams that watched him. "Great, so I'm famous amongst my enemies, I'm glad to hear that."

"You seem colder than I pictured you… I imagined you to be a warm fellow, who listens to his enemies seeking peace. But, I guess you can't be expected to be EXACTLY like your father…"

"And who the hell are you?" Carrus roared. "Apart from some pretentious jerk thinking highly of himself?"

The man smiled in the screen, chuckling at Carrus. "I'm glad you asked… My name is Casval La Flaga." Carrus' eyes widened in fear, knowing the name well, as in front of him, a large, black mobile suit appeared, the frame was curved, with two long boosters coming out of the shoulders, and a single golden eye in the head, with a long spine sticking out the top.

"The… the… the Black Meteor?" Carrus stammered. "But… but… you can't be…"

"Now don't hold back boy…" Casval sniggered, as his suit readied its shield on its left arm, and drew a large Beam Rifle. "My Sazabi was custom built for skirmishes like this, and I don't want you to take pity on me!"

* * *

_**A Note From the Author**_

So, the three Extended from Destiny have returned... as clones. Funny story, in the RP, we only EVER had Auel, but I felt like the Extended fans might hate, so, here we are. All three are back, and I may bring in the three from SEED, depending on how I go.


	16. Day of the Zeta

_**Chapter Fifteen: Day of the Zeta**_

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Kira?"

Kira looked out at the battle in the distance, completely distanced from the conversation that he was having with an elder woman in her late forties, her brown hair descended below her shoulders. He watched the battle, hearing the cries of all the soldiers who were fighting ahead of them. Deep down, he knew he sensed Carrus as well, but he couldn't explain where he was, or how involved in the battle he was.

"Kira?"

Kira finally looked up; looking down at the woman, next to her was a man slightly older than her, with a clean cut of short blonde hair. "Oh… sorry Merrue. I was just thinking about Carrus…"

"Ah yes… That son of yours." The man laughed.

"Mu, be nice." Merrue chuckled.

"I'm just saying…" Mu smiled with a shrug.

Kira smiled a little, looking into the void of space, as he watched the subtle dance of beams in the distance. "Merrue, get the Strike Freedom ready. I'm heading out."

Mu stood up with a concerned frown, stroking Merrue's hair as he stood straight. "You sure the kid'll like you straight away? Last I checked, he hates your guts for hanging out with us."

"I wouldn't be much of a father if I didn't." Kira answered.

"Good point." Merrue chuckled. "Just make sure you look after him."

"I will." Kira smiled. "Although I can't believe I'm taking parental advice from you two who haven't had a child!"

Merrue laughed, clasping her hands over her mouth. "Being a parent is no different from being a Captain you know."

"Wanna send the OTHER kid out?" Mu asked, grabbing his notepad that lay beside him.

"I think we should." Kira answered, slowly turning towards the exit of the captain's office. "After all, he is one of the brightest Newtypes we've seen."

* * *

**_(M.N: Gaia x Chaos x Abyss, Toshihiko Sahashi, Gundam SEED Destiny OST)_**

Shinn spun around, cutting down into another Enact, brushing it off like another trifling obstacle. With a quick draw of the long barrel hidden behind the shoulder of the Destiny, Shinn fired his impulse cannon, which shot into another pair of Jegans, slicing them in half. With a kick, he threw another Enact out into the open, when Brandon fired a beam Magnum round through the unit, slicing it in half. The battle grew fiercer, and both Brandon and Shinn felt the effects quickly as their fatigue began to creep up to them. Nearly half the Murasames were destroyed, and two more were too damaged to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, Mayu spun upwards, aiming the Gatling gun on her shield down at a pair of Jegans that flew past her. Behind her, an Enact flew towards the Yamamoto. "Oh no you don't!" Mayu called out, aiming her two rail guns carefully, and firing a round, that hit the shoulders, exploding at once and throwing the suit into a chaotic spin. Mayu's eyes glanced over, seeing a shift in her sensors. "Another suit? How many more are there?"

It wasn't until she noticed this, that a dark blue pod flew from around a corner of an asteroid, firing a pair of cannon shells at her cockpit. Instinctively, Mayu raised her shield, screaming as the force threw her into space. She forced her feet down on the pedals beneath her, powering her thrusters to full and slowing her fall into space.

"Huh, guess you've got moves!" A sharp, grating voice cheered over Mayu's comm. She knew this was in fact the pilot of her attacker. Before she could respond, the pod appeared in front of her, transforming into a mobile suit with large fins on either side of its shoulders, and firing a concentration of green beams at her cockpit. With a flash, she flew to the side, past an asteroid and out of harm's way.

"Damn… you're too good!" Mayu growled.

"MAYU!" Suddenly, Shinn appeared, swinging his sword on top of the machine that attacked her. With a draw of a spear, the enemy pilot deflected the initial attack. "Stay back! This is the Abyss! He's a tricky one!"

"Not a chance, bud." The enemy chuckled, when a black mobile armour leaped from rock to rock, leaping through the asteroid belt and directly at Shinn, extending from its back were a pair of metallic blades with beams running down the front. Shinn turned, seeing the new threat.

"The Gaia?" With a quick shift, he deflected the initial attack, being pushed away by the Gaia, further from Mayu and the Abyss. "Damn it! Out of my WAY!" Shinn roared, when the thrusters on the Destiny flared, and the Gaia and the Destiny locked in a fierce melee of beams and sparks.

The Abyss however, performed to better success. Auel chuckled to himself, his beams made progress at keeping the Strike separated from the better pilots. Brandon looked over after finishing his Gatling Cannon's ammunition. "Mayu! Hold on ma'am!" Turning, the Unicorn flew, only to be fired on from three angles, forcing him to stop and look, his Beam Magnum swung from angle to angle as he searched for his target. "Could it be Dragoons?" Brandon growled, when suddenly, a beam cut from below, barely giving Brandon time to raise his shield and block the strike, when a green fighter flew past him, its two side barrels dropped back from the hull, and fired several shots at the Unicorn.

Mayu flew back, seeing the Chaos duel with Brandon. She felt a sense of hopelessness, knowing she was outmatched against the Abyss. The Yamamoto sailed slowly behind her, aiming all beam cannons and firing at the quickly approaching EA Mobile Suits. "Oh no!" Mayu cried, when she turned back at the Yamamoto, failing to notice the approaching Abyss behind her.

"Turning your back on your enemy?" Auel laughed, spinning his beam spear over his head, and thrusting into the back of the Strike and its weapons pack. Mayu screamed in terror as the spear passed over her head, and as Auel shoved the weapon into the bridge of the Yamamoto, crashing the Strike through the glass and metal. Auel roared with maniacal laughter, feeling invigorated from the battle. "Brilliant! That felt bloody brilliant! A whole ship, downed by the 'crash' of one of their own Mobile Suits! Brilliant!"

Mayu thrust at her controls, the whole unit turned up with no results. As she jammed hopelessly at her console, Auel appeared in the HUD. "This is your one chance if you want to live! Jettison your cockpit, now!"

"What? And become a prisoner of the EA?" Mayu exclaimed.

"If you want, I could kill you right now!"

Mayu hesitated, not knowing how to respond. Her mind raced as she tried to understand what to do, then she thought about Carrus, and knew it was more important to live for him than it was to be killed. "Okay… Okay! I'm firing the escape pod now!" Mayu cried out, pulling a lever beside her chair, and the cockpit shell sealed up, launching behind the Strike, and the Abyss caught it.

"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Auel chuckled, as the Abyss ripped its spear through the remains of the Strike, and flew away before it exploded, taking the rest of the Yamamoto with it. "Admiral La Flaga!" Auel called out, opening his comm with his commander. "I've got the objective!"

* * *

**_(M.N: Scramble, Gundam 00 Soundtrack, Kenji Kawai)_**

Carrus roared as his beam sabres clashed, his Dragoons danced around Casval's pitch black Sazabi, and fired just before Casval pulled back, flying around and through the beams. Casval began to charge a central cannon embedded in the belly of the Sazabi, forcing Carrus to roll behind a large asteroid as he fired it into the floating rock, shattering it into hundreds of pieces.

"I see… So that's how you'll respond? Funnels launch!" Casval called, as circuits within the Sazabi whirred, and ten small objects on the shoulders and legs expanded four fins, and took off into space, trapping Carrus in sight.

"Were those missiles?" Carrus exclaimed when he saw the flashes, not noticing the Funnels to his sides. It was not until they fired, that Carrus flew back, and to the side when three more fired behind him. "Damn it! That thing has Dragoons?" Carrus whirled around, trying to find Casval's smaller Funnels with his Dragoons, when he lost the link for one, and saw an explosion to his side, and suddenly, Casval charged at him while he was distracted. "Shit!"

"You've got quite the foul mouth unlike your father, don't you?" Casval chuckled.

"Shut the hell up!" Carrus growled, firing his Dragoons to Casval's sides.

"Your skills are impressive," Casval answered, as he swung left and right, and his funnels took out another of Carrus' Dragoons. "But you're just using the same tactics."

"So what?"

"I know you're capable of much more if you can compete with Raven, so where is that fighting spirit he admires?" The Sazabi shoved against the Freedom, pushing Carrus back. He lowered his shield, revealing his charging particle gun in his chest. "Stop holding back or you will be destroyed!"

Carrus growled, and the Freedom's wings snapped to the right, and he propelled away from the blast. "Are you really going to keep this up? I don't have time for…"

"Carrus?" Carrus stopped, dead in space at the sound of Mayu's voice, and the Abyss flew behind the Sazabi, carrying a bright orange sphere. "Carrus!" Mayu called again and again. "Is that you? Please! Say something!"

Carrus' face tightened with anger and anxiety, as he glared up at the Sazabi. "Do you understand? If you want her returned, you will continue to fight here and now. Won't you?"

"BASTARD!" Carrus roared, as all his weapons charged, and he fired several highly accurate beams at the Sazabi, as the Abyss flew away. Casval smiled, and he opened his shield away, and the beams collided with the Sazabi, and a blast of smoke flew from the attack, and the beams flew right back. "What the?" Carrus raised his beam shield, barely blocking the shot, but his own Positron cannon shot cut over his shield, melting his wing tips and his forearms.

"This is the fruits of my research. A highly enhanced Phase Shift system capable of even deflecting a Positron cannon. I regret to say it's only on my Sazabi but…"

Suddenly, a deep blue beam cut from across space, piercing the arm of the Sazabi, and the limb exploded. Casval flinched, unbelieving of the strength of the beam that pierced his armour. "Im… impossible!"

"Who?" From above, a black and blue Mobile Suit emerged, with golden joints and a pair of blue Beam Sabres in hand, as eight Dragoons retreated to its wing frames. "No way… the Strike Freedom… but…"

"Kira Yamato?" Casval exclaimed.

_**(M.N: Kira, Sono kokoro no mama ni, Sato Toshihiko, Gundam SEED Destiny OST)**_

Kira aimed his Railguns, firing them, but instead of the usual yellow bolts, a pair of black orbs with red jets of light streaked across the sky. Casval raised his shield, only to have the shield detonate in his face. "No way… why?" Carrus cried. "Why is HE here?"

"Damn!" Casval yelled, as Kira approached him, flashing his Beam Sabres at his mobile suit.

* * *

Brandon flinched, raising his shield against the Chaos' relentless swipes. The force of the continuous strikes pushed his PS armour within the shield to its limits and Brandon's whole body shook with the Unicorn's. "Damn it… I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!"

"What's the matter?" Sting's cruel voice sneered over the comm. "Giving up already?"

"No…" Brandon growled. "I swore I never would again!" Both Dragoons on the Chaos flew behind him, and Brandon's eyes widened in fear as he saw the beam cannons begin to charge. Then, a pair of rockets flew down, striking both Dragoons, and exploding.

"What the hell?" Sting looked to his side, when a blue machine flew past him, striking him with a wingtip, and Brandon felt his mobile suit pull at his body, as three letters covered his console, 'NT-D'.

Meanwhile, the mysterious blue fighter flew up and above all of Chaos' shots, its bottom wing section was black and red, carrying a pair of beam cannons and a missile launcher, just above its cockpit was a long beam rifle, and on its right hand side, an even longer Impulse cannon was strapped, and despite all the equipment, the Mobile Suit flew with total precision, making moves not possible for a fighter, splitting suddenly to the left, right, and even suddenly decelerating to a stop and accelerating to top speed in a couple of seconds. "DAMN! That asshole!" Sting roared, as seven Enacts grouped around him, firing their beam rifles around the fighter, which dodged around the shots with total precision, when suddenly, a powerful red and clear beam cut across, slicing an Enact in two.

Brandon drew back his beam Magnum, now revealing the new face of the Unicorn, the horn had split in two, turned gold, and the frame had grown longer, and several plates split open, revealing the red lights of the hidden NT-D system. "I've got you all now!" Raising his Magnum again, he aimed between the Enacts, and fired a round, which cut through space, and struck the side of the Gaia in the distance.

"Crap!" Stellar cried, giving Shinn the opportunity to ram his palm into the chest of the Gaia. "Shit!"

"RRRRRRRAAAAHHH!" Shinn roared, when a sudden feeling made him hesitate, and his palm cannon only fired a small amount of its total energy, which simply propelled the Gaia into space. "What… was that… no way…? Stellar?"

"Damn him!" Stellar roared, slamming her fist into her console as she drifted into space, her PS armour faded into the dull grey of the Suit's original colour in a flash, her power depleted.

Meanwhile, the Enacts continued to attempt to surround the Unicorn and the blue fighter, both kept at a distance, keeping all Enacts and the Chaos at a wide angle. One Enact managed to fly directly below the fighter, aiming his beam rifle upwards. "Got you punk!" The pilot called out.

The pilot in the fighter smiled, flicked a couple of switches, and the fighter tilted to the side, and an arm burst from its side, beam sabre in hand, and slicing through the suit, as it split apart, a pair of arms emerged, the pad below opened, revealing a Tau GN Drive, and a torso, with a pair of legs and arms. Then, from the torso, at the top, a long face burst, and a pair of golden horns split open, and a pair of green eyes flashed.

"Crap! ANOTHER Gundam?" Sting roared.

"Nah." The pilot chuckled under his white Orb helmet with a red stripe running along the spine of his pilot suit. "This ain't any old Gundam. This is the ZETA Gundam!" The Zeta spun, drawing its Beam Rifle, and firing a shot through an approaching Enact. "The name's Judau Ashta! And I'm takin' you out!"

* * *

Carrus gasped, seeing the battle as he approached. The Zeta and the Unicorn performed far better than any suit he had seen in such a scenario. He tried to ignore the fact that the Strike Freedom followed him closely. As the battle began to end, Carrus' eyes widened when he saw, from behind some debris, three ships, an Izumi class warship, the Eternal and the Archangel. "No way… is that…"

"The Three Ship Alliance." Kira interrupted. "That's correct."

"What the HELL are you doing here old man!" Carrus roared when he heard Kira's voice. He felt as if all the pent up aggression from meeting Setsuna at Augustus, and fighting Casval, had simply exploded, and all his rage burst from within him. "You DARE to come here now?"

Kira simply looked at Carrus with a smile, a slight chuckle left his lips. "I just came to help my son, is that so hard?"

"SHUT UP!" Carrus yelled. "You could've come YEARS ago to help me… Why now? Is it only because there's a war on?"

"Is… that a problem?" Kira smiled.

"YES IT'S A PROBLEM!"

"So. Is that the only reason you hate me?"

"Well…!" Carrus stopped, having to think about his answer to Kira. He knew no other answer; he had few reasons why he hated his father. He simply loathed him for not knowing him, but he couldn't bear to tell himself that. "Of course not! I just-"

"Please, just follow me." Kira replied, as the Strike Freedom turned, and flew towards the Eternal. Carrus hesitated, not knowing what his next action should be. So he simply followed his own heart, and followed Kira into the Eternal.

* * *

**_A Note from the Author_**

HEY RPERS! You remember ANY of that?

No?

Then how do you like Brandon and Judau in action? Cause that was epic fun to write. Good thing I watched all of Zeta Gundam for that...

FYI? Judau is WAY better than Kamille. ALWAYS.


	17. Carrus and Kira Reunite

_**Chapter Sixteen: Carrus and Kira Reunite**_

"Get those mobile suits loaded!"

"Seriously? What's that giant saucer thing?"

"No way! A Destroy?"

Raven walked past, giving a subtle whistle at the sight of a Destroy folded up and squatting on the hangar of the Achilles class Destroyer. He wandered past the remains of his Kshatriya, ignoring Kayos, who leaned against the wing, glaring at Raven.

"Feel happy, murderer?"

"I'm just following the wishes of the people." Raven sneered in response. "You've seen the news, right? All the people calling for extermination of the coordinators?"

"That's NOT my point." Kayos snapped.

"Then what is?" Raven chuckled. Kayos was speechless, seeing the lack of care in Raven's eyes. There was a long pause, only to be interrupted by the sound of the Chaos, Gaia and Abyss return. Shortly afterwards, the Sazabi landed, and Raven looked up, surprised that the right arm was blown off. "Incredible… who could have done that?"

Auel lowered the capsule onto the deck, just as he stepped the Abyss into his assigned resupply bay. Raven walked up to the pod, and called out to Auel as Sting flew towards him. "Auel! What the hell is this!"

"Our prisoner." Sting answered.

"Oh. Hey Sting." Raven replied as he turned his head towards the Extended. "Prisoner? Seriously?"

"You'll be interested too!" Auel chirped. "She's the girlfriend of the Freedom pilot you're obsessed with!"

"She's… what?" Raven asked, a sleight of interest rang in his voice as Sting opened the pod. Inside, Mayu was curled up in a ball, her hair was flowing freely, and Auel and Sting gasped, captured by her natural beauty. Raven's eyes widened, it was unusual for him to lay eyes on a girl, especially one like Mayu, who looked up at her captors, completely frightened simply by looking into their eyes.

"Hey… she IS cute…" Auel sneered, as he took a couple of steps toward Mayu.

"Hands off Auel!" Sting barked, grabbing Auel's shoulder. "Our orders were to-"

"FUCK our orders!" Auel snarled with a wide grin. "It's been a long time we got some boob that wasn't as spliced as Stellar! And I'm taking it for my-" Auel was interrupted, when a bullet was fired, and he keeled over in agony, holding his side as a bullet wound smoked in his side, not piercing any flesh, but it still felt like a spear cut through him. Shi stood by, a smoking pistol in hand, as Casval approached the pod.

"My apologies for his behaviour Miss Hawke." Casval broadly announced, as he offered his hand to her, stepping lightly into the pod. Mayu looked up cautiously, trying to figure out if the man greeting her was a friend, or more likely a foe. "Perhaps you would prefer Miss Asuka?"

Mayu watched carefully, knowing no matter what, she needed someone, anyone to treat her with respect as a prisoner, even from a total stranger. "No… Mayu is fine…"

"A stunning voice you have Miss Mayu." Casval smiled, making Mayu's heart flutter a little bit. "I must say, it's odd to see one as beautiful as you piloting in a war like this."

"Tha… thank… you?" Mayu blinked, confused, and taking Casval's hand with little more hesitation. Raven was impressed, knowing Casval was always irresistible to any person of the opposite sex, but to even get someone as devoted as Mayu was something else. He smiled slightly, continuing to admire the man who walked away with Mayu under his arm, wondering just what Casval wanted from Carrus.

* * *

Carrus floated out, as mechanics immediately flooded over the Eternal Freedom, and began to strip the damaged armour like a lion ripping the meat off a bone with its teeth. He floated over the rushing people inside, when he spotted Kira talking to an older, middle-eastern man with a scar on his left eye and holding a cane. Glaring at him, Carrus still found himself floating over to Kira. Kira turned his head, and smiled. He simply smiled with that same caring smile that Carrus ignored, believing him to try and hide what innocence he could within his smile.

"Hello again, Carrus." Kira beamed, offering his hand to pat Carrus' shoulder, who coldly brushed it away.

"Save your praise." Carrus growled. "What do you want?"

"How about we walk for a little?" Kira suggested, as he turned towards the back of the hangar and pushed off the floor, aiming for the door. Carrus followed shortly after, not caring for what could happen. "I heard you have a girlfriend now?"

"Don't think just because I'm here means you can ask about my personal life!" Carrus snapped. "You never cared enough before…"

"That's not true."

"Then name one thing… just ONE thing I've done, and maybe I'll believe you!"

Kira chuckled, pulling out a small diary from his breast pocket in his pilot suit. Carrus looked closely, seeing a very young, and very happy Feldt throwing her arms around a baby Carrus. "Graduated from Elementary school at age seven, by age eleven, you were studying senior level physics and teaching your professors about Quantum theory, at age fifteen, you left Augustus to permanently study sciences, history and political studies at the Morgenroete University at Onogoro Island…"

"So you've got my report card… Big deal."

"Ever since you were four, you had a fondness for young Mayu Hawke, who you met at a park, and attempted to teach her how to read Shakespeare when she just wanted to play princess in the castle, you taught her about everything you learned in school every day, and parted ways when you left, only to be reunited moments before the attack on Morgenroete three and a half months ago, and now you stay at each other's side in love…"

"What… what is this?" Carrus yelled. "Are you spying on me?"

"I'm simply making up for not being the one to hear you read Shakespeare… or to help your science project, or to teach you about girls, Carrus." Kira smiled. "I regret every day I could never spend with you and Feldt, so I had your mother, Cagalli and Athrun keep me up to date with every little detail, so I may watch you grow, even though I can't be there."

"I won't accept that!" Kira chuckled, and Carrus turned his head, startled, seeing a bright pink orb bounce through the halls. "I won't accept thaaaaaattt!"

"Oh mister pink…" A soft giggle chimed behind the ball as it flew into Carrus' hand. Carrus' eyes widened in delight, when a slender, beautiful woman walked toward him and Carrus, her long pink hair was tied up with a red ribbon, and she wore an elegant silver and yellow uniformed dress. "You really can't keep yourself contained, can you?"

"Mother!" Carrus laughed, leaping into Lacus' arms, making Kira smile again. Lacus giggled softly, as she caught Carrus.

"Lacus! You doing fine?" Haro chirped repeatedly.

"Hello Carrus! You've grown! You're taller than me now!"

Carrus looked down at his legs with a blink, realising he now stood over a head taller than his mother. The last he saw her, he stood below her chest, and now he was much taller than her. "I… guess I have!" Carrus laughed, scratching the back of his head, not even realising that he had grown bigger than Feldt too until Lacus mentioned it. "Wait! You're here too?"

"Of course!" Lacus smiled. "I can't stay away from your father forever!"

"You mean… all this time you trusted him?" Carrus whispered, shocked at Lacus' words. "What if he was cheating on you or something?"

Lacus let out a laugh, and Kira chuckled a little. "Sweetie, your father wouldn't know how to act like that with another woman if his life depended on it!"

"Thanks Lacus…" Kira sighed, rolling his eyes.

"It's true and you know it!" Lacus sneered lightly, an action Carrus didn't think possible.

"I know…" Kira sighed, his face in his hands, with a slight laugh to himself. Suddenly, the chime of a comm line in the corner of the room echoed, and Kira floated over to answer it. Hitting a button, the face of Andrew Waltfeld flickered to life on the screen. "Mister Waltfeld? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. Merrue called, there's no sign of the pilot Mayu Hawke anywhere." Carrus' eyes widened, as he remembered what had happened. "We've sent a search party, but we can't find the Earth forces squad that captured her."

"How's Shinn holding up?" Kira asked.

"How do you think? It's taking an army to stop him from going out there." Carrus' fist shook in frustration at Andrew's words, to the point where impulsively, he slammed his fist into the wall, taking Kira and Lacus by surprise.

"We'll talk later." Kira said, turning back to Andrew. He nodded, and Kira closed the comm. Kira floated back to Carrus, and spoke out once again. "I doubt they'll harm her."

Carrus burst, snapping his head to Kira. "I know that! They did it to draw me in!"

"They what?" Kira asked, eyes widened, while Lacus gasped in shock. "Carrus, DID Casval La Flaga actually say this?"

"You know him?" Carrus growled.

"We've met him in conflict several times over the past year." Kira explained, refusing to hide anything. "He's dangerous, and the half-brother to the executive officer of the Archangel, Mu La Flaga."

"He has fought your father many times, after he defeated Mu and nearly killed him." Lacus continued. "As a result, Mu is paralysed in his legs and is now on the command deck of the Archangel."

"The Hawk of Endymion, right?" Carrus questioned, remembering the name of the famous war hero.

Kira nodded. "This time there's no recovering, and he barely survived death, this was done with nuclear energy, so there was no recovery."

"Nuclear?" Carrus exclaimed loudly. "That bastard's got a nuclear reactor? I though ZAFT were the only ones to have that technology?"

"We don't know why either." Kira continued. "Tell me, does he want anything?"

"He… wanted to fight me… that's it."

"Kira." Lacus announced, her eyes burned with determination. "That isn't the end of it."

"I know Lacus." Kira answered. "Carrus, without a doubt…" The comm rang again, and Kira turned it on promptly, this time, an elder woman that Carrus recognised appeared. "Merrue? What's happening?"

Merrue replied with a serious tone. "We've got a call from the destroyer, Rewloola."

"Casval." Kira growled, Carrus was surprised at the fierce look in Kira's eyes, his father smiled so much he never knew that he could hate someone so much.

Merrue nodded. "He's set up a list of demands, he wants to meet your son at Panama in roughly one week… for the return of Mayu Hawke."

"Mayu?" Carrus yelled, pushing Kira aside. "Is she okay? Is she hurt in any way?"

"She's fine." Merrue answered with a slight smile, reassuring Carrus. "She wanted to pass on a message…"

* * *

"I love you?" Raven laughed, keeping watch over Mayu, who lay on her bed in her given room, isolated from everything that was happening. "Are you serious? THAT was the one thing you wanted to tell him?"

"It's what he SHOULD hear." Mayu snapped. "It's the least he deserves to know I'm okay!"

"HAH! Ridiculous!" Raven sneered. "Those are just words at the end of the day…"

"Words that mean a lot for the two of us!" Mayu yelled, slamming her fists against the mattress. "I don't care if you're some heartless bastard! But DON'T you dare mock him for-"

Raven lunged forward, grabbing Mayu by her throat, and unsheathing a knife from his uniform, and thrust the blade inches away from her face, making her look at Raven with a shocked look, her eyes shook with fear. "Listen carefully girl, the only reason I'm not killing you right now is simply because I need something from Casval, something to help me kill Carrus himself." Raven's grin grew menacing, as he bared his teeth like a wolf bares its fangs before its prey, making Mayu shiver before her fierce captor. "Talk back again, and I'll GIVE Carrus a reason to hunt me till the ends of the universe, got that?"

It was then, the security camera moved, down towards the floor, and began projecting a beam of light that began to take shape, forming a black dragon, with a set of brutal spines that arched back from his long face, and a set of red wings lay on his back, arching back, its tail had a large silver blade at the tip, and the creature approached Raven. "Raven, lay off the girl."

"Oh, you're done Shadow?"

"To inform you that the ZAFT forces have come wanting their GN Drives back." Shadow snarled. "And to keep you in check and make sure you don't do anything stupid."

"I'm not retarded Shadow." Raven chuckled, taking delight at Mayu who shivered before him. "I'm just scaring her a little." Turning, he made his way towards the door, and left. Mayu crawled into a ball, remaining there, trying to forget Raven's hating gaze.

"Let it be known Mayu Asuka." Shadow greeted with a low growl. "That Raven is not one to tempt without me around. I am his logic and his cool head, he is pure instinct."

"Hawke."

"Hm?"

Mayu looked up with a glare at her inhuman visitor. "My NAME is Mayu Hawke."

"Apologies." Shadow replied. "Your data is listed as Mayu Asuka, and I do not pay close attention to Casval La Flaga's personal files. I will be monitoring you through Raven's Mobile Suit if you need me."

"What are you?"

"An artificial intelligence." Shadow candidly answered. "As the Three Ship Alliance uses the Haro terminal for aid in combat, I am used as a personal terminal for Raven. I am literally split from his own mind, and what you see is the chosen form that I have taken in the data stream, whether it's on a local or wide spread system."

"I… I see." Mayu answered, looking away.

"Do not fret." Shadow answered, every word he said had the same hiss of a lizard, whether he growled or was talking normally, likely a part of his own programming. "Raven will not harm you while I keep him in control. And Casval will fend off others. Although, you should know, Carrus Yamato will likely be involved in the next battle." Mayu looked surprised, and yet she couldn't help but hide a smile at the news. "He will not rescue you. However, you should know you two will meet soon. That is a message from Casval, take those words into account." Shadows form then flickered, and disappeared from sight, as the light died down, and sirens began to sound throughout the ship. Mayu felt calmer however, knowing deep down, Carrus would come for her.

* * *

"Carrus! Wait!" Kira called out.

"If the ship with Mayu is out there, then I'll pay Casval an early visit!"

Kira grabbed Carrus' shoulder before he got into the cockpit of the Eternal Freedom, the mechanics all around looked at the pair, not noticing the sorrow in Kira's eyes. "Carrus, I know how eager you are, but you should know, the enemy is going into combat against ZAFT, and their force is led by an acquaintance of yours."

"Wait… you mean!"

Kira nodded. "Setsuna F Seiei."

"Do you know him too?" Carrus asked, his gaze lowering.

"I only met him once, before this war started, moments before I left for the Archangel. He was coming to see Feldt actually."

"I… see…"

"This is why you should get his help to attack the Rewloola." Kira smiled.

Carrus looked up, taking him a few moments to process what his father just told him. "You're… letting me attack that vessel? With… someone you regard as…"

"Setsuna is not our enemy. Adrian Viper is different." Carrus looked awkwardly at Kira, not understanding his point. "I will explain when I can, just know that your Aunt Cagalli and I know that his intentions are not as pure as he claims. For now, get ready to launch. You'll have backup from the Zeta Gundam pilot, Judau Ashta, okay?"

Carrus looked at Kira for a moment, trying to understand his intentions, but there was something in him that changed, and his mouth widened a little, as he smiled slightly. "Thank you. Kira."

"You're not calling me father STILL?"

"I don't like you THAT much old man." Carrus chuckled, as he put his helmet back on, and threw himself into the pilot seat of the Eternal Freedom.


	18. Rivals Return

**Chapter Seventeen: Rivals Return**

Raven threw his crimson helmet over his shoulder, as the Gale Strike and the Heavyarms Gundams readied themselves on the catapults. He made his way towards the Mobile Suits, when he saw Casval approach him from the other side of the hangar. Looking up with a confused look, he saw Casval land in front of him.

"Raven, you're not to launch in a Mobile Suit. I've scheduled you to use the Destroy Gundam."

"Seriously?" Raven laughed. "You're giving that mother to me?"

"For this battle, yes. Why do you think I brought one?"

Raven smiled menacingly, looking at the Destroy behind him. "You know, I thought you'd give THAT to Stellar."

"With your performance rating?" Casval smirked, letting out a loud laugh. "Raven, you're far beyond Stellar because your mind isn't degraded by piloting that machine! I would much rather see you pilot the Destroy over any of the other Extendeds because of your abilities. The first being…"

"My Quantum Brainwaves." Raven answered with a smirk.

"Exactly."

"Well then, guess I'll do it." Raven answered. "But aren't you launching?"

Casval shook his head. "Not this time. This is all yours this time, I have to make sure that Mayu Hawke is in top condition for our arrival at Panama."

Raven shrugged, as he turned away to the Destroy, brushing off Casval's concerns. "All right then. Just let me at Carrus Yamato."

* * *

"Kayos Harbinger. Gale Strike, taking off!" Kayos called out, getting thrown back into his chair as his white and orange PS armour faded in on the Strike.

"Sting Oakley! Abyss, takin' off!" The abyss followed on the second catapult, with the Gaia and the Abyss close behind.

"Stellar Loussier! Gaia! Launching!" Stellar called out, the Gaia shooting out of the catapult that lay underneath the one that Sting launched from.

"Auel Neider, Abyss Gundam, I'm takin' off!" Auel slithered, his tongue flicked like a snake's as the Abyss fired out below the Gale Strike.

* * *

Carrus typed away, his fingers worked quickly across the keypad; he quickly prepared the connection to the catapult, as he waited for a call for him to launch. He saw the Mobile Suits in the distance fly towards the opposing fleets. As he finished an adjustment to his re-entry OS systems, Kira's face appeared on the screen. "Carrus."

"Yeah?" Carrus replied, raising his eye line to meet the face of his father.

"I know you want to watch out for Setsuna F Seiei, and I do encourage you to prevent as many deaths as you can, but don't forget, we are not allies with ZAFT or the Earth Alliance. If he fires at you…"

"I'll fight back? Is that it?" Carrus sighed knowing his fate. "I appreciate your concern, but he's a close friend of Feldt's so…"

"I know." Kira answered. "So watch and see if I fight him back, only then should you fight him."

"What? You think I can't make a decision for myself?"

"Not at all…" Kira answered sadly. "Just that it's because he's a close friend of Feldt's."

"Oh… I think… I understand…" Carrus said, calmer than before. "All right, I'll follow your lead. Carrus Yamato! Eternal Freedom! HEADING OUT!" Carrus was thrown into the back of his seat as the Eternal Freedom shot off the catapult from the Eternal, when he noticed one of the stationary guns to his side disengage. "Hey? What's with that?"

Suddenly, a screen opened up to his side, and the African man that Kira was talking to earlier appeared. "Hey kid! Don't be too reckless! Your machine's got capabilities to use the Meteor units, right?"

"Huh? Who are you?" Carrus asked as he approached the Meteor, when Lacus' bubbling face forced the man off screen.

"Oh that's right! You haven't met mister Waltfeld yet, have you?"

"Waltfeld?" Carrus pondered as he connected the Eternal Freedom to the Meteor unit. "Wait a minute! You don't mean Andrew Waltfeld? The Desert Tiger?"

Andrew edged his way back into the screen behind Lacus. "Kid knows his history. Good stuff!"

"Mister Waltfeld is the Captain of the Eternal, so please do listen to his instructions, okay?"

"Yes… of course! Thank you mother, mister Waltfeld!" Carrus looked to his side, seeing Kira also equip a Meteor to the Strike Freedom.

"Just be careful Carrus!" Lacus called out. "That Meteor is incredibly difficult to use, and we want to minimise deaths on ALL sides, not just our own."

"Okay, got it…" Carrus continued, when the Zeta Gundam launched from the Kusanagi and began to fly side by side with him. "What? Hey! Why's that guy following me?"

"What?" A young man appeared in his screen, wearing a white Orb pilot suit with a red stripe running along the centre. "What's wrong with me anyway?"

Kira appeared on screen next to the pilot. "Carrus, this is Judau Ashta, he's normally a test pilot, but…"

"But I'm a natural ace, so I'm helpin' you out!" Judau laughed, giving Carrus a thumb up. "That Meteor makes you a bigger target, so I'm watchin' out for ya!"

"Uh… right."

* * *

"Setsuna F Seiei. 00 Qan [T]. Taking off." Setsuna launched in the 00, as several Flags and Geara Zulus followed him. The ZAFT fleet headed toward the earth, as the Jegans and Enacts of the Earth Alliance approached his own force. "Eliminating TARGETS!" Setsuna spun his GN sword into combat use, and fired off beams into the crowd of enemy Mobile suits, striking three immediately, when suddenly, the Gaia leaped from the destruction, and slammed a beam sabre into his shield. "What is that? Another Gundam?"

"DIE COORDINATOR!" Stellar roared, as she spun a second beam sabre into her spare arm, and swung, only to have Setsuna deflect it. A barrage of coordinated cannon fire shot towards the 00, and Setsuna responded quickly, aiming at the Heavyarms Gundam that attacked him. Firing more shots only led the Gale Strike to attack him next.

"Not a chance pal!" Kayos roared, his large ribbed blades clashed against Setsuna's own sword.

Setsuna growled, as he pushed the Strike back. "Ugh! This formation… they're trying to surround me! It's not going to work!" Suddenly, a staggered set of beams caught his eye, and his Sword Bits deployed to defend himself from the Chaos' attack, as the Gaia approached him again. "Grrrr… TRANS-AM!" Setsuna yelled, as the 00 began to glow red, and struck the side of the Gaia faster than Stellar could see.

"What? How did he?"

"Stay calm Stellar!" Sting yelled. "This is what we want! Now all units! Keep that thing at bay for two minutes! Then it's no longer our problem!" Sting transformed into his suit mode, and fired several shots, rotating as the 00 flew past him at an incredible speed, and fired his rifle after him, trying to land a single shot into the 00, all while Auel set up an attack from a bit of debris.

Setsuna passed the Abyss, not noticing it, and Auel gleamed, the Abyss opened its fins and its beams charged. "HAH! I've got your number, asshole!" Auel roared, and fired a full blast, as six green beams and a blue and red shot fired straight at Setsuna, when the shot passed through the 00, and it disappeared. "What? How the hell did he do THAT?"

"DIE!" Setsuna reappeared behind the Abyss, and stabbed forwards, barely missing the cockpit, and cutting off a fin instead. The Abyss surged forward, and swung its spear, but Setsuna was too quick, he cut that in half before Auel could react. Suddenly, Kayos flew at him, boosting into the 00, and kicking it.

"NOW WEISS!"

"Roger!" The heavy arms landed on the debris, and all ports opened, and he fired a storm of cannon shots, missiles and bullets into the 00, which barely spun its shield in time, as the glow of Trans-Am faded.

"Damn it! They're too coordinated!" Setsuna growled, when suddenly, his alert went off, and a Destroy appeared behind him, firing every single cannon round at him. "WHAT?" Setsuna spun, and barely raised his shield, but his legs were caught, and he lost them almost instantly.

"How sad…" Raven sniggered, sitting in the cockpit of the Destroy. "You're too easy!" The beams continued to fly, and Setsuna was being forced back constantly. Setsuna growled, when suddenly, his head began to ring, and something in his mind started clawing at him. He began to lose focus, and failed to notice that Raven had transformed into his Mobile Suit, with a clenched fist, he thrust it forward, and punched the 00 into a slab from a colony. The contact of Mobile Suits made Setsuna scream in agony, as his head raked with incredible pain. "So it's true after all! Innovator!" Raven's voice echoed within Setsuna's mind, filling him with shock.

"What… who are you?"

"Oh come on!" Raven laughed. "You don't remember? I'm the guy who kicked your ass!"

"Ra… Raven!" Setsuna glared, as the Sword bits flew to his side, and connected with his GN sword. "Not again… NOT AGAIN!"

Raven smirked, and he threw all arms forward, and fired a massive series of beams that flew through space, some even struck the Earth Alliance's own Mobile Suits, taking many of the pilots by surprise. "Not a challenge! Not a challenge at all!" Raven fired shot after shot, striking Mobile Suit after Mobile Suit, as he continued to put pressure on Setsuna, who wasn't able to fight back against the monstrous Mobile Armour.

* * *

Kayos turned, his eyes shook at seeing what Raven was doing, his eyes shook in anger and fear at the sight of even the Earth Alliance's Mobile Suits fade in a sea of explosions. "No… it… it can't be…"

Stellar landed on a chunk of hull from one of the destroyed ZAFT ship, as she looked at the Destroy in awe. "That's… what I could do…" She let out a slight giggle thinking of what the suit itself was capable of.

Kayos turned to Stellar, hearing the ecstasy in her voice. "You think that's so great? He's slaughtering even our own forces!"

"Doesn't matter." Stellar replied. "If they can't avoid it, they're useless."

"You really think they should just die?" Kayos growled.

Stellar laughed at Kayos' resistance to her opinion, there was little else for her to understand. "This world is only run by the strong, that's why people like lord Casval and Raven are necessary!"

* * *

Setsuna was thrown back; his head ached too much from the intensity of Raven's mental attack, as he felt the hand of the Destroy slam its hand into the 00 Qan [T], and the G Forces pushed Setsuna's body to his limit, until the 00 was thrown into an asteroid, and Setsuna was flung forwards, smashing his helmet into the front console, and the glass in his visor shattered, spraying shards of glass over his face. The Destroy slowed its movement, and its hand slowly reached out, and grabbed hold of the 00 with little hesitation.

"How sad." Raven sighed as a long ring of disappointment rang in his voice. "You're the greatest warrior in the PLANTS, and you don't even compare to Yamato junior." Raven watched his monitor, seeing Setsuna's unconscious body lie in his chair. "This really sucks. And here I was, not even beginning to start having fun… how ridiculous."

"Hey Raven!" Auel landed just beside the 00, grabbing the head and flinging the lifeless suit around in the weightless environment. "You're not finishing this guy off! What the hell, man?"

"Don't think I'm goin' soft." Raven answered blandly. "I'm just bored with that bastard."

"Ya don't say?" Auel sniggered, as his Gundam reached for its pike. "Can I kill him then?"

Raven shrugged, chuckling to himself as a sadistic smile stretched across his lips. "Go ahead. I'm looking for someone in particular anyway."

"Sweet!" Auel snarled, as the Abyss raised its pike above its head, until suddenly, two red and blue beams cut through space, striking the Abyss in the side, blowing its port fin clean off and throwing Auel into space. "What the crap?" Auel screamed as his Suit spun into space, and the Eternal Freedom flew past, as its Meteor boosted past the Destroy at an incredible speed, grabbing the 00 with its arms and flying back into space.

"Well! Look who decided to show up!" Raven laughed, as his Destroy's eyes followed the Freedom, which flew behind a wrecked Laurasia class ship, and placed the wrecked machine against the bow.

Carrus looked down on the 00, not hearing Setsuna say a word, but despite this, he knew Setsuna was still alive despite his lack of response. Carrus looked back towards the debris where he found Setsuna, the Destroy that was there had begun to manoeuvre around the debris to reach him.

Carrus smiled, and looked back at the 00. "Hold on Setsuna. I'll be back soon."

"Carrus! Where are you?" Carrus jerked his eyes to his comm monitor, where he saw Andrew Waltfeld glaring at him. "You've abandoned Judau and left the battle area! Where did you run off to?"

"Uh… sorry sir." Carrus chuckled nervously. "I kinda got caught up in something else."

Kira at this point appeared on a screen next to Andrew, as flashes sparked on his helmet, a sign that he was still caught up in the battle. "Carrus, just get back as soon as you can. You're drawing too close to the Earth; you'll get caught up in the gravity before you know it."

"Yeah, but what about that Destroy?"

"Ignore it." Kira answered sharply. "That Mobile Armour is too far out to do any real damage to the ZAFT forces, and right now, we need to deal with it once the other tasks are completed first."

* * *

"Roger Kira." Carrus responded, just before he cut the comm.

"I guess it's too soon for him to address me like a son as opposed to a soldier…" Kira chuckled, as the Strike freedom spun a shoulder forward, as a Geara Zulu fired a shot from behind, missing entirely, Kira spun with a Beam Rifle, and shot the head off the Geara Zulu, as his second Beam Rifle fired in the opposite end, as he hit the Beam Rifle of an approaching Jegan. "I just wish he'd get here sooner." Kira backed back into his Meteor, the enemy squadrons in his sector were disabled, and they were all in the midst of retreating to their disarmed ships, their weapons were destroyed by the Coordinator ace. "This battle is too large… and they're so far spread… this is an odd battle."

"What do you think it means?" Kira looked to his screen at the sound of Lacus' question. "You don't think that this battle is staged this way?"

Kira looked to his sides as the battle continued to spread. He watched as the Jegans and Enacts continued to lead the ZAFT forces further outwards, pushing them beyond their formations. "By looks of things… It really looks like the Earth Alliance really is leading the ZAFT out of their formations! Casval's dragging us out! Why is the commander letting his forces get pulled out?"

"By looks of things, Setsuna was caught in a surprise attack." Lacus responded, and Kira darted his eyes towards her.

"Setsuna? How?"

"He was drawn into an ambush early into the battle…" Lacus' expression was worrisome, almost as if both she and Kira knew about Setsuna's relationship to their daughter.

"Oh no…"

"Mister Yamato!" Brandon called over a channel, as the sound of his Beam Magnum roared twice, and the flash of its beam stretched in front of Kira, striking a pair of Flags and detonating them in a flash of red flashes, their GN particles spread on their destruction. "We've got problems! Mister Asuka and I are caught in combat against the Chaos and the Gaia, and the Gaia's got Mister Asuka on the ropes, sir!"

"What? Shinn's in trouble?" Kira exclaimed, when suddenly, a green flash caught his eye, and Kira swerved out of the way of several green beams from empty space, and suddenly, a Providence Gundam leaped from behind the beams, its Beam Sabre flashed from its wrist, and cut into the starboard Beam Cannon on the Meteor. "Damn it!" Kira drew a Beam Sabre, and cut off the arm that was embedded in his Meteor, and fired the boosters on the top of the Meteor, and flipped downwards, kicking the Providence away, as he fired straight ahead, straight past the Sazabi, which simply hovered by, as five Providence Gundams floated behind it, the sixth damaged unit flew back beside them. "There you are, Casval La Flaga!"

The black machine looked down on the Strike Freedom, as Casval tapped away at his console. "Kira Yamato. I believe you owe me for wrecking my Sazabi's arm yesterday."

_**(M.N: Meteor, T.M Revolution)**_

"Sorry, I'm not interested!" Kira yelled, as his Meteor missile ports snapped open, and his beam cannons began to charge, and all his weapons fired at the Meteor Squadron. The Providences scattered, all six of them were hit, and even two of them were destroyed in Kira's assault. Kira jettisoned his Gundam from the booster, and surged forward as four of the Sazabi Funnels fired several shots into the platform, destroying the weapon platform. As the Strike Freedom neared the thick armoured Mobile Suit, as Kira aimed his weapons at Casval and drew his Beam Sabres, swinging his weapons towards the Earth Alliance soldier.

"So here we are! Once again fighting an endless battle! When is it that you will learn mister Yamato?"

"Why?" Kira roared, as the pair clashed, both Suits spun around, constantly slashing at each other, deflecting their attacks with their Beam Sabres in a series of rapid strikes, their Dragoons and Funnels darted around them, trying to gain the upper hand in another battle, as their own wills tackled against each other in a violent display of yellow and blue beams.

* * *

"Guess that's that…" Carrus sighed, hearing his father's orders. The Eternal Freedom's wings spread out, and began to fly out towards the battlefield that flashed in the distance. Carrus flew his Suit into the debris, turning his gaze at the battlefield in the distance, seeing a carrier in the distance, a long red Earth Alliance battleship that he recognised, and he turned towards it. "The Rewloola… That's where Mayu is!" Carrus flew at the ship, when suddenly, a group of beams fired in front of Carrus' path, cutting him off from the Rewloola, as the Destroy floated into sight from the corner of Carrus' eye. "Out of my way!" Carrus roared, as he fired his Positron gun into the core of the Destroy, almost instantly, the blast struck into the rapidly appearing anti-positron barrier. "Crap! That bastard!"

"That isn't nice!" A familiar voice snarled with a sadistic tone over the open channels.

"What the?"

"Sound of your voice says you remember me!"

Carrus grit his teeth at the sound of the enemy's voice. "You… Raven!"

The Destroy readied itself with all its weapons at the ready, as Raven glared down at his chosen rival. "Yeah, yeah… just skip to the part where we start to rip each other apart!"


	19. Tensions Rising

**Chapter Eighteen: Tensions Rising**

_**(M.N: Battle against the Dominion, Kidou Senshi)**_

Shinn pulled back into his controls, as the Destiny raised its shield against the Gaia's quick strikes, its beam sabre flailed about with rapid strikes as Stellar screamed in fury, her arms swung about with her Mobile Suit's as she struck, again and again, her frustration wrecked the lining of her joysticks. Shinn looked up from with his trembling cockpit, as he watched the black Gundam slam against him again and again; his shield began to fray against the violent blows laid upon him. His lower lip trembled, when he yelled out into his comm.

"Stellar! Stellar! Stop this right now!" Shinn called out with futility. "Stellar! Don't you know who I am?"

"I do!" Stellar responded immediately, as her beam Sabre pressed hard against Shinn's shield. Shinn looked at his attacker in shock, unable to comprehend her words. "You're the one who she loved! You're the one who killed her! Who killed me!"

"What?" Shinn growled, as he spun the Destiny around, the Gaia fell through, and hit an asteroid as Shinn flew back and away from Stellar. "That's garbage! I never killed you! You're right there! You're piloting the Gaia!"

"Don't fool yourself!" Stellar snarled back, as she pushed herself away from the asteroid. "Stellar Loussier died that day in Berlin! I am simply a clone created to fulfil her will!"

Shinn growled to himself, as Stellar launched the Gaia, transformed into its wolf-like Mobile Armour form, right towards Shinn, its Beam Blades activated, and its boosters powered to maximum, and flew, full thrust at the Destiny. Shinn felt time itself slow to a near halt as he felt his anger overtake his mind, and before he knew it, he snapped his eyes open, his pupils faded, and his eyes shone with a pure hatred. "Then that's it?" Shinn thrust an arm forward, snapping the neck on the Gaia with the force of the thrust from the Destiny. "You really believe that Stellar would want something like this?"

Stellar looked up in shock, as the palm cannon in the Destiny charged up. Moments before it fired, she ducked the Gaia down, barely avoiding the attack, when suddenly, with a roar from Shinn, he drew the sword attached to the back of the Destiny, and swung it down on Stellar, who barely caught it with her Beam Blade, throwing her down into space. Stellar screamed loudly, transforming the Gaia back into its Mobile Suit, drawing her Beam Rifle as she spun back towards Shinn. "Not yet!"

"I'm not done!" Shinn roared, his arm that initiated his initial attack had already reached for his Impulse Cannon, and he fired a shot, straight through the arm that held the Gaia's Beam Rifle. Sheathing his sword, he drew his Beam Rifle, and with both long range weapons, he fired a barrage of shots that ripped the limbs of the Gaia off. Hearing Stellar scream from within her cockpit, Shinn stopped his attack, slowly sheathing both ranged weapons, he breathed heavily, as he slowly began to fly towards the Gaia, picking at the wreckage until he grasped the cockpit unit. Quietly, he began to whisper to himself. "No… I'm not done… not yet…"

* * *

"Bastard!" The Chaos fired shot after shot into space, as the Unicorn spiralled around the shots, accelerating faster and faster, with the Chaos trailing farther behind, Sting's shots began to drift further away as Brandon pulled away, and drew his Beam Magnum. He looked at his ammunition count as he spun around.

"Four shots… Not enough left to waste…" Taking a careful aim at the Chaos as it approached, Brandon charged a shot, and fired, the wide beam rocked across space, and the Chaos quickly barrel rolled out of the way, transformed, and flew at the Unicorn entirely on inertia, and slammed a Beam Sabre into Brandon's shield.

"You're not all brawn after all!" Sting yelled over the comm. He spun around, and kicked the Unicorn away, as his two funnels flew around the Unicorn, marking an opportunity for both cannons, which fired at the white Gundam. Brandon grimaced, and pushed himself out of the line of fire moments before the shot, and both funnels shot each other. "Crap!"

"Die!" Brandon yelled out, as his Beam Magnum fired outwards, and struck the side of the Chaos, detonating the side. "He's down…" Suddenly, the back of the Unicorn was hit with a particle beam, and a squad of Flags flew past, making a pass while firing their weapons directly at him. "Damn it! ZAFT reinforcements?"

* * *

Judau passed through a series of asteroids, a series of Enacts flew after him, firing at him from behind. Judau swerved around, and slammed a pair of cables into an asteroid, and with a transformation, he swung the asteroid in the Enact's path, and one collided with it. Judau drew his Beam Rifle with his spare arm, and fired into the cloud twice, ripping another Enact apart. As the cloud cleared, four more fired through the cloud, forcing Judau to raise his shield to the incoming beams. "These guys are crazy!" Judau flew to his right, as he readied his grenade launcher in his spare hand, and fired two rounds from the Zeta's right arm, which struck one of the Enacts, while the other two passed below him. The pair broke away, and flew to catch Judau in a pincer, when suddenly, three Flags burst from behind an asteroid from above, and fired directly at him. Judau grimaced, and dodged backwards, behind the floating remains of one of the Enacts he took out.

"Aw crap…! These guys are everywhere!" Judau growled, as he breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath. As a Flag flew towards Judau from below, a chain of blue beams ripped its torso apart, and the Unicorn flew into the wreckage the Zeta had taken cover behind.

"Judau! You okay?" Brandon's voice called over the comm.

"No!" Judau winced. "I'm surrounded, tired, hungry, AND I lost my partner when he decided to scarper and be a hero!"

"You're kidding!" Brandon exclaimed. "I swear, Carrus is gonna give us ALL an aneurism…"

"Well no crap!" Judau yelled. "Heads up!" The Zeta shoved the Unicorn out of the way, as Judau aimed his Beam Rifle to the sky, and fired at an approaching Jegan, then again as another pair showed up. "Shit… see? THIS is why I hate fleet battles!"

"Just hang in there!" Brandon answered, firing his second to last Beam Magnum round at a Kshatriya hiding behind some debris, destroying its two port fins with little effort. "We only have to push them away from the ships long enough for them to get close enough to the atmosphere!"

* * *

_**(M.N: Countdown, Kidou Senshi)**_

The darker depths of space lit up with a series of green and blue beams that flashed, as Dragoons and Funnels flew, firing at each other, but flying out of reach of the beams. In the centre of it all, Kira and Casval clashed, beam sabres sparking violently as they struck each other's weapons again and again. Kira was by far the most agile, but Casval's long experience and continuous training showed, and as their swordsmanship paralleled one another. The Sazabi was surprisingly quick despite its bulky appearance, and the movements of its dual custom beam sabres showed the promise as they sparked against the Strike Freedom's.

"Come Kira!" Casval roared over the open line, the pair knowing they couldn't be heard by others. "Why do you keep fighting us even now? You have no army to match us, and the only support you have is from a country that is so set on its political idealism, that its military strength has fallen to a non-existent purpose!" As Casval yelled to his opponent, he pushed Kira back, firing his central cannon towards the Freedom.

"Maybe you're right!" Kira barked, his pupils had faded symbolising he had taken his SEED state. Kira flipped the Freedom to the side with a quick booster climb, then flying straight back into Casval's range as he thrust one beam sabre, and swung another to the side of the Sazabi. Casval was quick to parry the thrusting Beam Sabre, and to raise his arm to catch the swinging Beam Sabre, stopping it as it slowly melted the outer armour. "But it's a better option than watch you and Adrian Viper fight this war of yours! Is this even what your people want?"

"How naïve of you Kira!" Casval pushed on a foot pedal, and the Sazabi kicked the Freedom in the chest, and flung it into space. The Freedom's beam Sabre stuck into the forearm of the Sazabi, and the eye on the Sazabi flashed once as Casval readied his central cannon. "Do you still cling to the hope that Coordinators and Naturals can live in coexistence the way that this world is? Until humanity changes its very outlook on the rest of us, this long war will continue!" The central cannon fired, and Kira retaliated by strafing to the right, and fired his Impulse Cannon at Casval. The Sazabi flung spun to the side, and soared away from the beam, as the Beam Rifle that was attached to the forearm of his left hand swung on a pivot, and fired at the Freedom. As Kira flew to evade the shots, Casval fired the fixed chainguns in the Sazabi's head. The rounds roared into space, striking the core of the Freedom, as four of the Sazabi Funnels circled around Kira.

"Only you will fight to that belief, Casval La Flaga!" Kira roared. Reacting quickly, while ignoring the continuous rounds coming direct from the Sazabi while its Beam Rifle aimed toward his cockpit, Kira twitched at the Controls, and the Freedom moved ever so slightly, each limb and the torso slid just past the beams that were fired. Kira aimed his own head at a Funnel, and with a pull of a trigger, his own chainguns ripped the small cylinder to shreds. Feeling his Dragoons connect within his mind, the four that remained fired at the three remaining Funnels, blowing them to pieces. As Kira's Dragoons surrounded the Sazabi, a sudden spark distracted Kira, making him turn his own gaze into space, as the Sazabi thrust forward, avoiding the shot from the Freedom's mobile weapons.

"Now I end this!" Casval roared, when as he flew with his Beam Sabre ready for a killing strike, a powerful Railgun shot echoed, and slammed into the side of the Sazabi, blasting it's left arm clean off. Casval swore loudly within his cockpit, spotting the Archangel as it emerged from some debris, its port side Valiant class cannon was aiming directly at him as the ship fired several rounds at him. "Damn… looks like my Phase Shift armour isn't perfect against a ship just yet…" The Sazabi turned to the Archangel, and strafed around the shots, avoiding each shot by a small amount, as Kira's Dragoons chased after him as he fled. "Kira, we will meet again! That I swear!" The Earth Alliance general yelled out as he fell back from the battlefield, leaving nothing but chunks of debris from his own suit, and his escorts.

Kira lay panting in his cockpit, swinging his head around trying to decipher the nature of the sudden sensation he felt, his head still rang from the unpredicted feeling that coursed its way right into his very nerves. "That feeling… that felt almost like…"

"Kira! Are you alright?" Kira snapped back to life, when he heard the sound of Merrue's voice over the comm. "Is your suit damaged? Kira!"

"S… sorry. I just felt a little nauseous…" Kira sighed, as the exhaustion in his voice began to show.

"Now's not the time to feel tired!" Merrue exclaimed, as the chaos from the bridge on the Archangel began to ring in Kira's ears, as everyone on board was shouting at their screens and to each other as they tried to keep assessed as to how the battle was progressing. "The Earth Alliance is making a full retreat! If you want to get to the Rewloola and save Mayu, you'll need to move now!"

"Where's Carrus?"

"I'm sorry, but that boy really is too rash…" Merrue scowled. "He's gone back and fought that Destroy Gundam for whatever reason is so important…"

"Let him." Kira answered decisively. "What about Shinn and the others?" At the moment Kira mentioned Shinn, the Destiny flew around the Archangel, already flying towards the Rewloola.

"What the hell do you think Kira?" Shinn barked over the comm line, leaving Kira behind. Kira chuckled, and flew after Shinn. "I'm not leaving my daughter with those bastards!"

"Good to see you're back to normal Shinn…" Kira chuckled.

"Normal?" Shinn growled. "I'm more pissed off than ever now! Those bastards created a series of clones based off the Extendeds from twenty years ago!"

"What?" Kira exclaimed, hearing Merrue also gasp. "Shinn, are you sure-"

"Don't ask me any crap like that!" Shinn snarled. "Believe me, you know I would be the first person to notice something like that, don't you?"

"Casval…" Kira whispered to himself, believing Shinn's angry words to the last letter. "What have you done?" A spark of green laser woke Kira from his slumber, as the Rewloola fired a series of beams at him and Shinn. "Shinn!"

"I know! Just stay close and take each cannon out with a Beam Sabre!" Shinn barked. "I'll try and get in and find Mayu!"

Kira gasped, his eyes widened as he continued to avoid the beams, flying underneath the belly of the enemy ship. "Shinn, don't be reckless! If you go charging in by yourself-"

"The Rewloola's going back to Earth as well!" Shinn roared, striking a beam cannon on the bow of the red cruiser. "If that thing gets into Panama's airspace, we'll lose Mayu!"

"Shinn…"

"I can't lose her Kira! Not now!" Kira saw the determination in Shinn's eyes. "If I let Mayu go, then I won't be able to look Luna in the face again! What would you do if Carrus were in there?"

Kira didn't even need to think about the answer. So he nodded, his eyes began to light with the same fire that Shinn had. "I doubt Carrus would forgive me if I let Mayu go… all right, I'll cover you!"

"Thanks Kira!" Shinn grinned, as he slammed his palm into the hangar doors, and blew the steel open, forcing his way inside, as Kira flew upwards, Beam Sabre drawn, and swinging it down onto the ship's weapons.

* * *

_**(M.N: The Battle of Strangers, Kenji Kawai)**_

Carrus smashed his throttle into reverse, as the Freedom screamed to a halt, as the hand of the Destroy swung around, and flew past again and again, as Carrus avoided Raven's relentless strikes. Every so often, he noticed Raven's hands back away, and with a quick response, Carrus raised both shields against the Destroy's hands, and flew below the chest, avoiding the maelstrom of beams that Raven fired. When the monstrous hands suddenly encircled the Freedom, Carrus responded by drawing both Beam Rifles, and firing two shots clean through the palms, and flying out of the explosion that followed shortly afterwards. As he drew his hip mounted Railguns, he fired them into the Destroy's chest, and with the loud bangs that echoed through space, Carrus could only hear Raven's laughter, as the battle grew more and more intense.

"YES!" Raven snarled happily. "You have no idea how long it's been since I had someone like this! You even hit the weakest point in the armour of the Destroy's palms to eliminate my arms! You truly are worthy of fighting me!"

"Shut up!" Carrus growled, as the Freedom flashed towards the Destroy, drawing its Beam Sabre, when two miniature mechanical arms burst from the hole in the shoulder where the arm was, both were holding Mobile Suit sized Beam Sabres, and slamming against Carrus' own Beam Sabres. "What the hell? Those weren't in the combat data!"

"Don't act shocked now, Yamato boy!" Raven laughed sadistically, as the Beam Sabres pushed Carrus into range of the Destroy's main cannon. Carrus snapped his eyes open, and boosted upwards to avoid the incoming shot, as the Destroy engines on its back accelerated to maximum power, and the Destroy spun around in the zero gravity, and threw Carrus toward the Earth when its legs collided with the Eternal Freedom's torso. Carrus yelled out to the empty space as Raven pushed him down, and the Destroy followed, thrusting towards the Gundam. "It's been many years since one of these saw action! Of course there'd be improvements!"

Carrus growled, when suddenly, he felt his whole body get a lot heavier, as he was pushed into his seatbelt as the Freedom hit the atmosphere. "Damn it… the Atmosphere? Raven! If you follow me-"

"It will be the best damn battle I've ever seen!" Raven yelped in excitement. "How many people can dare say they fight a Mobile armour while re-entering the atmosphere?"

"You idiot!" Carrus roared, his fist slamming against his console, as his body strained against the tension in his seatbelt. "Don't you care? That Destroy of yours will burn up in the heat! Your limbs are gonna explode at this rate and you'll take us both with you!"

"All the better!" Raven snarled, his Destroy began to deploy its saucer over its head, and withdraw its limbs into the main body. The Destroy began to fall faster, flying into the planet much faster than the Freedom as its weight increased exponentially. Suddenly, the rear Beam Cannons fired, despite the heat put on the front of the suit. Carrus cursed, and grabbed the joystick on the console, and with a slight twitch, and a push of several buttons, the Freedom slowly evaded several of the shots.

"Carrus? Carr-" Carrus looked up to his comm line with one eye, seeing Brandon fade in and out with the static that forced in, due to his re-entry. "-your location? I repeat, where are-"

"Brandon! I'm engaged in combat! Entering atmosphere whilst being engaged by a single Destroy class Mobile Armour! Whatever you do! UGH!" Carrus yelled out, and smashing his helmet into his console as a beam struck the right side, blowing the Suit's entire right leg off, and sending the Freedom into a downward spiral. Carrus looked up, grimacing as the shards of glass pierced his face. He could see his reflection on his view screen, and like once before, when he fought Setsuna at Onogoro Island, he saw his eyes turn a deep gold, and his pupils had faded into the golden light.

Raven's eyes widened when he sensed Carrus' awakening, his own Quantum Brainwaves reacted to the mysterious sense within Carrus. "What the hell? That feeling! Now there's no mistaking it! Quantum Brainwaves! He's an Innovator?"

Carrus' eyes narrowed, and he slammed his joystick down with a war cry. The Freedom went from a free fall, and tucked its wings and limbs to its side, and the Suit dived like a missile into the Destroy, passing the firing beams quickly, and soaring towards the monstrosity that fired at him, as the Suit began to glow blue. Carrus looked at his console, to see the same letters light his console from his last encounter with Raven, signifying the Odysseus Program had been activated. "RAVEN!"

"Crap, I'm not letting that system beat me again!" Raven snarled, as he deployed his Positron barrier to maximum above his head. The Freedom didn't stop, despite the barrier and the onslaught of incoming beams, Carrus continued to roar, jamming his Gundam's hands into the barrier, they slowly began to force the barrier to split. "Oh no… not yet! Not this shit again!"

"Are you scared now?" Carrus roared, as the Freedom grabbed hold of the Destroy's head, pulling the very metal beneath its grasp. "Not so tough now you're fighting me, are you?"

Raven smirked, and he looked up, once again, wearing a sadistic grin as he stared into his vid comm link to Carrus. "Shadow! Aim the Scylla's at his cockpit!" Shadow was quick to take over the wrecked systems of the Destroy, as the two large cannons on top of the saucer that previously were frozen by the grasped links within the Freedoms hands, aimed at the Freedom's cockpit, as the re-entry entered the final stage, the heat around the edge of the Destroy began to cook the inside, making Raven sweat and pant. This didn't stop him, as he continued to smile he pulled the trigger, and when the two beams fired, the Freedom suddenly pulled itself to the Destroys hull, just out of shot range. "What?" The Freedom raised a hand, Beam Sabre aiming down, as Carrus stabbed into the edge of the saucer, straight into the jewel at the front of the saucer. The front of the dome detonated, propelling Carrus off the edge, hurtling him down into re-entry. The sudden jolt caused him to cry in shock and pain, as the right wing of the Freedom blew up, and threw him into a downward spiral.

"DAMN IT!" Carrus cursed, feeling the increased temperature rise in the cockpit of the Freedom. Carrus grimaced at the sound of every alert at once light up and ring loudly. Carrus grimaced, fearing that his death was not far off, as thoughts of Mayu kept flying through his head upon every scream of the sirens, Carrus looked up at his console, seeing in the blood red glow of his reflection, a single tear rolled down his cheek, and he silently whispered to himself. "Sorry… I couldn't save you Mayu…"

* * *

Mayu snapped her head upward to the door of her prison, swearing that she had heard Carrus' voice, only to be greeted by sounds of gunfire and explosions that rocked the ship. She sighed to herself, curling her legs under her chin; a pair of tears lined her cheekbones. "Carrus… was that really you I just heard?" After a long pause, she chuckled quietly with a sob, unbelieving of her own words. "Who am I kidding? Now I'm just being absurd… Why would he just appear like I wished for him…" Almost immediately, the door slid open, and the guard outside fell down, clutching his shoulder into Mayu's room, only to be knocked out by a quick jab from Shinn's clenched fist. Shinn wore an Orb pilot suit, only his was a dark blue, with the inner half and shoulders coloured a dark blue, signifying his ace pilot status. Mayu leaped to her feet as soon as her father burst in. Shinn looked at her with a scowl, slinging a pistol into his holster at his hip, attached to his pilot suit. "Daddy?"

Shinn threw a bag at Mayu's feet that was slung over his shoulder. "Get that on. We're moving. Now."

* * *

**_A Note From The Author_**

Sorry for the wait guys, but it's ready, and I'm already halfway through chapter nineteen. Promise I'll try to get a few chapters out this week to make up for my absence, enjoy.


	20. Two Hostages

**Chapter Nineteen: Two Hostages**

_**(M.N: Support From The Rear, Kidou Senshi)**_

Kira swung around, barely avoiding the fire from an oncoming Enact. He was outnumbered, over thirty Earth Alliance Mobile Suits surrounded him, and on top of that, there were eighteen Flags that entered the fray, trying their best to attack the Rewloola. Kira grimaced as he fired a shot into the GN drive of an oncoming Flag, noticing five ZAFT Geara Zulu's approach quickly. "Damn it! Why are you all attacking the Rewloola now?" Kira was quick, clicking at a couple of buttons, all Dragoons deployed, surrounded the Strike Freedom, and with one pull of his trigger, he fired all of the Freedom's weapons, and each weapon was deadly accurate, striking limbs, weapons and the heads of many of the Enacts, Flags and a pair of Geara Zulus. Twelve Suits detonated, and were flung into space, their cockpit units still intact as Kira continued his assault. "Just stop this pointless fighting!" Kira roared into his screen, as his Dragoons scattered, targeting random Suits.

"Kira!" Lacus' melodic voice chimed in over Kira's intercom, alerting him as he spun behind the Rewloola. "Do you know where Carrus is?"

"What?" Kira snapped quickly, his eyed grew in shock as he shot one Geara Zulu in the rear thrusters. "I lost track of him as he attacked the Destroy! Where's Judau?"

"Under attack!" Lacus answered worryingly. "He and Brandon were dragged into the edge of the ZAFT fleet!"

Kira grit his teeth, the battle continued to rage around him. "I'm sorry Lacus, but if I leave to find him now, I'll end up leaving Shinn defenceless!"

"I understand but-"

"Lacus! I really can't leave!" Kira yelled, his anger not directed at Lacus, but the situation that he had been forced into. "If I were to leave now, and something happened to Shinn and Mayu, Carrus would gladly turn his weapon on me next!"

"He's your son!" Lacus yelped, unable to comprehend Kira's words. "Why would you say something that heartless about him?"

"Because he's not that different from me…" Kira's eyes grew sadder, making Lacus see the regret in Kira's eyes. There was a time when I myself would have killed anyone who threatened the ones I love, remember?"

"Kira…" Lacus closed her eyes for a few seconds, giving Kira a moment to disable two more Flags, when another wave emerged from the debris field. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Actually…" Brandon's voice chirped in from another comm line.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Mayu squealed, wearing a plain white space suit, her wrist in Shinn's hand as he fixed his helmet on securely. Shinn stopped at the corner of the wall, peering around the corner as he whipped his pistol out and held it against the rim of his visor. "Daddy! We can't just-"

"Just shut up if you want to get outta here." Shinn growled, annoyed at his daughter's chirping. He leaped out, pistol aiming down the corridor, and spinning hid head around to make sure he was still undetected. "All right, listen up. We're going to make a break for the Destiny. Run ahead of me, we'll be straight in the hangar. Climb up the Destiny as quick as you can, get into the cockpit, and get yourself strapped into the back of the chair. We're going to need to move quickly."

"What?" Mayu yelped. "You can't! You should just go now!"

"Mayu! I'm not leaving you-" Shinn was turning to look at Mayu, when suddenly, he was stopped when a bullet flew from the hangar, striking his hand gun, and flinging it away into the hall, just past Mayu. As Shinn grabbed his hand, a tall man in a pitch black Earth Alliance pilot suit, wearing a pointed helmet tinted a dark grey ran at him from the hangar, and before the Coordinator could respond, was pinned against the wall in one swift movement. "Crap!"

"Quiet mister Asuka." The man replied. Flipping a switch on his visor, raising it into his helmet. Mayu looked at him in surprise, recognising Shinigami Payang's pale face and crimson eyes. "Admiral La Flaga, I have apprehended Shinn Asuka. He was escorting Mayu Hawke off the ship." Mayu watched as Shinigami continued to talk into his helmet, slowly reaching for her father's pistol that had fallen near her. As she just touched the firearm, a loud click snapped from a pistol in Shinigami's hand, which was pressed into Shinn's back. "Your call miss Hawke." Shinigami replied, his narrow eyes watching her. "Either move that pistol away and surrender, or watch your father take a bullet in the back. He's too old to put up a decent fight anyway."

"What was that?" Shinn roared, only for Shinigami to wrench his arm further upwards, making Shinn roar in agony as he felt his muscle strain.

"Three seconds." Mayu's eyes widened as Shinigami's finger stroked the trigger. "Two… one…"

"Stop!" Mayu cried out, throwing her arms in the air. "Just… don't hurt him…"

Shinigami's mouth widened into a very slim smile, as he moved his trigger finger away from the trigger. "Very wise decision. Now back to your room."

* * *

Casval breathed a deep sigh of relief hearing the crisis aboard his ship was averted. He sprayed his face with water from a bottle as he floated to his post on the bridge, and tapped at a few buttons on his chair, opening a comm line at the front of the bridge. "All units, proceed to the Rewloola. Attention, Kira Yamato, this is a private communication." His staff officers looked back at him, confused and anxious at hearing him trying to make a call to the enemy. "We have captured Shinn Asuka as he attempted to retrieve our prisoner Mayu Hawke. If you wish to see them both alive in the future, you will submit to my demands immediately."

After a few moments, Kira's face appeared on screen, a series of flashes flew over the screen, a sure sign Kira was locked in combat. "Bastard… you dare hide behind your hostages like this?"

"Call it what you want, sir." Casval frowned hearing Kira's seething tone. "But I have a ship of over two hundred soldiers on board who need to get to the planet's surface. As you have led us this far into the battle with your attempted rescue, I see no reason but to use that leverage to my advantage in order to protect my men."

Kira seethed, knowing what it was that Casval was ordering him to do. "Where am I escorting you…?" Kira's voice was a deep tone, knowing his options had disappeared the moment Casval appeared within his screen.

Casval's face had grown a shallow smile, as he looked onto Kira's face. "Escort us to atmosphere, just above Panama airspace. Once we reach atmosphere, you may then leave for your own forces operations. Once we return to within the Panama headquarters, we will be willing to open a negotiation concerning the return of your pilot."

"You said 'pilot'…" Kira growled.

"More specifically, Shinn Asuka, as well as ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam. Mayu Hawke remains with us as… a guarantee... that Carrus Yamato will approach alone to escort her himself."

"Carrus?" Kira asked, his eyes widened in shock, as he attacked an incoming Flag. "What do you want with him?"

"Is that a decline to our agreement?"

Kira grit his teeth tightly, but knew he had no choice. He looked at Carrus, his SEED state eyes shook violently as his own anger seethed into his words. "No… I will agree to all your terms…"

* * *

**_(M.N: Kantai Shiki, Toshihiko Sakahashi)_**

Lawrence flicked his eyes around, hearing the call from Brandon worried him. Wing Zero sped across the ocean, it's white and red wings flared, and the thrusters cut out, letting him touchdown on a nearby island. He looked up, and just like the images that the Zero system showed him, he saw a Destroy plunge from atmosphere, appearing to be no more than a burning dot from his view screen. He silently cursed to himself, and swept his black hair out of his scope, as the Wing Zero raised the long, combined black and yellow rifles to the sky. Looking into his scope, he saw a much clearer picture, the Eternal Freedom had fallen ahead of the Destroy, and was spiralling out of control as it fell to the ground, while the Destroy had most of its limbs snap off one by one. Lawrence saw a pair of white circles in his scope centre around the Destroy, as he carefully took aim, trying to put the constant stream of feeding images from the Zero system to the back of his mind, trying not to get distracted.

"One shot… that's all I have…" Lawrence's deep voice whispered, and he took a deep breath, as the Freedom spun past the scope view again, past the lock on the Destroy as Lawrence saw Carrus try to slow his descent. "Just… don't fly in the way!" Lawrence yelled, as he pulled the trigger, the large black rifles lit in their barrels, and fired an incredible yellow beam across the ocean, separating the opening path, as the beam roared up into the sky, and struck the Destroy through the top.

* * *

Carrus swore loudly, as an immense beam passed underneath him, smashing the Destroy out of his path. Carrus looked at the falling Mobile Armour in shock, surprised at the firepower that was used. His eyes followed the Destroy, as it flew off into the distance, sent away from the shot. He looked in awe after the beam as it continued into space, when his trance was broken by a familiar voice. "Carrus Yamato! Come in!"

"Lawrence? Commander Lamperouge, is that you?"

"There's no time! Activate all your thrusters and slow your fall now!"

"I can't!" Carrus yelled, as he slammed every button and pulled and pushed every joystick and throttle. "My nerve linkages are all shot! The heat must have fried them!"

"Crap…" Lawrence snarled. "Hold on! I'll try something!" Carrus waited in his cockpit, watching the ocean below approach at an ever increasing speed. His thoughts grew more and more towards fear, as he sensed his immediate death approach faster than the ocean, his only consolation were the blaring lights tell him to apply his thrusters. Then, suddenly, the side of his Mobile Suit shuddered, and Carrus was thrown into his belt, winding him temporarily. It was a few moments later, that his suit hit the water, and continued to hit the edge, dragged along by the Wing Zero, which had slammed into the side and pushed him as he fell, to slow him just enough to crash land in one piece into the ocean. Carrus watched as his surroundings began to fill with salt water, his own eyes began to feel heavy as he slowly began to lose consciousness, his world around him had faded into black as he slowly shut his eyelids.

* * *

Setsuna felt his whole body ache as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, surprised at the sight of a light source above him and air against his face. He groaned, until suddenly, a cherry young man, no older than twenty leaned over him, with short silver hair leading into a long ponytail, a wide grin stretching across his face. Setsuna's eyes widened at the man, who suddenly leaped to his face with a loud cheer. "KAYO! KAYO! He's awake!"

"Twi, shut the hell up…" Replied a man behind him. Setsuna gazed up to see him, a broad shouldered man with neatly cut blonde hair and a thick build. He gazed at the slowly stirring Setsuna. "You're real lucky you were found by Twi, kid."

"…I'm not a kid…" Setsuna groaned, recognising the dark green Earth Alliance special pilot suits worn exclusively by the Extended on both men.

"Weiss!" Twi suddenly chirped floating above Setsuna, proof they were in a Zero-G environment.

"What…?" The broad man answered.

"Can I keep him? Pleeeeeaaaaassssseeee?"

"God, he's not a puppy you moron!" Weiss snapped. "The guy's a ZAFT officer, who all want to kill us by the way, and you decided to up and save him!"

"Can't be helped." Setsuna looked down, to see a well-built man, much older than the other pair, most likely in his late thirties or early forties, and with a long mane of red hair on top of his head. The man floated in and looked at Weiss sternly. "You know what Twi's like, at least we saved this guy from that maniac, Raven."

"You… know Raven?" Setsuna mumbled.

"Unfortunately…" The man replied. "Look, ignore the Earth Alliance uniforms, we're just mercs hired for special ops."

"Mercenaries?" Setsuna asked with a vacant stare. "I was not aware the Earth Alliance was using them."

"Especially seeing as how we're all wearing the pilot suits used by the Extended, right?"

Setsuna nodded slowly, while he leaned forward to try and sit up straight trying to avoid the strain from his injuries. "I suppose so. It is difficult to believe."

"Well, Weiss and Twi are Extended, no denying that…"

"Born and bred." Weiss interrupted with a bored expression. "But Kayo here is believe it or not an-"

"I sensed his Quantum Brainwaves." Setsuna suddenly announced, taking Kayos slightly by surprise. He stared at Setsuna with an interested gaze, while Setsuna looked back to him.

"So… does that mean you can like talk into people's minds?" Twi asked with a slight giggle. "What you should do, is talk to a guy with them, and say you're a GHOST." Twi smirked with his apparently brilliant thought, only getting the sound of Weiss slapping his palm into his forehead.

"I'm a little amazed." Kayos continued. "But it does explain why when we attacked your fleet a couple of weeks ago, I sensed Quantum Brainwaves from your ship."

Setsuna slowly rose to his feet, letting the zero gravity carry his weight. "Well, thank you, but I need to get back to my fleet…"

"With those injuries?" Kayos' eyebrow rose on his forehead leaving an otherwise confused look. "No way are you getting back by yourself."

"I just need 00…"

"What's a Oooooo?" Twi laughed, playfully flicking his tongue about with the sound he made.

"Your machine?" Weiss answered. "Well, yeah it has a GN drive and all… two at that. But how is that going to help when you can't fly it properly?"

"I cannot disclose that…" Setsuna groaned, pushing himself slowly along the corridor. He began to understand where he was, within a sealed portion of a derelict ship, most likely destroyed in the recent battle. He pushed himself to the hangar, glad to see the 00 Qan [T] still intact, and all Sword bits attached to the shield.

"Wait." Kayos suddenly called out, appearing behind Setsuna. "What are you going to do when you return?"

"I have someone I need to protect."

"Someone huh?" Kayos smiled a little to hear Setsuna say something so simple. "Been a while since I heard that… she your girlfriend?"

"No, she is not." Setsuna replied sternly.

"So if she ain't your girlfriend, why protect her?"

"Because I promised her."

"Bullshit." Setsuna turned to face Kayos with an angered expression, looking like he was about to strike Kayos, when he just stood there smiling. Confused, Setsuna held off. "This girl's gotta be important to you if you're trying to look out for her brother. On a battlefield I might add."

"What?"

"Quantum Brainwaves pal." Kayos answered. "You were delirious, and sending them out like crazy. I caught glimpses and saw her. She's definitely important to you, right?"

Setsuna paused, as images of Feldt flooded into his mind. All he could remember were the many times he had met her during his duties, as she grew up alongside him and gradually grew into the graceful young woman that he knew today. Setsuna looked up at Kayos, and silently answered. "I have to leave…" He pushed himself toward the 00, opened the cockpit from the outside, and floated in. As the GN particles began to fill the hangar, Kayos opened the barely functioning hangar doors, and Setsuna flew out. Kayos looked out into space, a slight chuckle left his lips.

"Guess you hate talking about your own emotions, eh Setsuna F Seiei?"

* * *

A series of beeps echoed into Carrus' ears. His world slowly faded into light as he opened his eyes, seeing a white room around him. He was in a medical centre of a ship, with Lacus at his side. He slowly turned his head, to see a great relieved look on her face. "M… Mother?"

"Shhh… it's all right. You're okay Carrus…" Lacus said, rubbing her soft palm along Carrus' cheek. "You just had a bit of a rough landing, that's all."

"Where… am I?"

"On the Archangel." Lacus replied with the same graceful smile she always had. "You're just resting right now. Mister Lamperouge saved you after all, do you remember?"

"Yes… yes I do…" Carrus silently lay still, until a sudden though made him groan and widen his eyes. "Mayu! What about Mayu?" He cried out, leaping forward, straining his back and chest. He grimaced in pain, as Lacus worriedly nursed Carrus back into lying down.

"Please Carrus! Calm down!" Lacus eased Carrus down despite his panicking state. "I'm sorry… we tried to rescue her, but Shinn was captured while trying to rescue her… your father was caught up in the battle, and forced to help Casval into landing the Rewloola at Panama…"

"So… we've… lost her?" Carrus asked hesitatingly, his eyes shone uneasily, showing his concern for Mayu.

'No… not yet." Lacus smiled. "I think you'll be surprised when you find out where exactly we are."

* * *

Kira watched the hallway in front of him, as a series of Orb soldiers saluted him on his arrival. With Judau at his side, who was fixing his own scruffy Orb forces collar, Kira began to walk down the hall. When they arrived at the end, the doors opened, revealing a long table, with a petite woman with blonde hair reaching below her shoulders and about Kira's age, sitting at the head, and standing beside her, a tall man with windswept blue hair and green eyes. As the doors closed, the three began to smile, and Cagalli ran at Kira and threw herself into Kira with her arms around him. Judau was shocked, his jaw had dropped and he let out a loud squeal seeing the Chief Representative so different from his imagination.

"Welcome back Kira!" Cagalli beamed.

"It really is good to be back Cagalli…" Kira smiled, as Athrun approached him from the other side. Kira loosened his grip on Cagalli, letting her slide to the ground, and smiled at Athrun. "Athrun…"

"Just shut up and give me a hug." Athrun chuckled, wrapping Kira with a brotherly embrace and slapping his friend's back firmly.

"Wow." Judau sniggered with a wide grin. "So THIS is what the top brass are really like!"

Kira smirked and turned his head to Judau. "Cagalli's my sister."

"WHAZZAWHA?!" Judau exclaimed with great shock, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"Where's Carrus?" Cagalli asked. "I half expected him to be here?"

"He's resting right now, he crash landed into the ocean from orbit." Kira answered.

"Well damn it…" Athrun sighed. "He's just as reckless as you are… no wait. MORE reckless. He's spent too much time with Shinn hasn't he?"

"Guess so…" Kira chuckled. "But enough of that. How are we getting them back?"

Cagalli nodded, as she looked toward Athrun. "We'll get right to it then."

* * *

**_A Note From The Author_**

Iiiiii know! Another chapter so soon!

Working on the next chapter now. Enjoy for now.


	21. The Prelude To Chaos

**Chapter Twenty: The Prelude to Chaos**

"Setsuna." Setsuna's eyes snapped open from his daydream of the past, alerted by Adrian's voice as he leaned against the wall, sitting in Setsuna's chair within his office. Setsuna shook his head subtly trying to wake himself up, whilst looking at Adrian.

"Sorry Chairman, you were saying?" Setsuna apologized, feeling his head throb with anxiety.

"I was SAYING…" Adrian sighed, with an annoyed tone in his voice. He had just arrived after recovering the staff aboard Januarius, and after putting in so much work, he was very annoyed. "That we need to figure out what to do with those damn annoying Naturals. Honestly, sending in a friggin' kid Extended to destroy the capital… do you know HOW much paperwork I gave to my five secretaries?"

"I can only imagine sir." Setsuna growled, unable to comprehend what Adrian was complaining about.

"Enough for me to sign for the rest of eternity, THAT'S how much…" Adrian scowled, rubbing his fingers into the corners of his eyes. "Little prick… Not to mention the revival of the Three Ship Alliance… even worse is the fact they're now defending the Earth Alliance too…"

"Actually sir, I don't think that is entirely the case." Setsuna interrupted. "The Strike Freedom was attacking their flagship until approximately twenty minutes after the Destiny landed within the ship. Chances are Shinn Asuka has been captured and taken as a hostage, hence why Kira Yamato is defending the ship from our attacks.

"Hmmm…" Adrian leaned back, stroking his chin slowly, looking up at the ceiling with his dark green eyes. "What do you think? They our enemies?"

"Sir?"

Adrian spun the chair back to face Setsuna head on, and leaned on his desk, gazing deeply at Setsuna as he became lost in thought. "Yes. After all, Lacus Yamato is high up in the chain of command there, and Kira Yamato is the figurehead of their little group. It would be safe to assume that the pair of them may be trying to wrench command of the PLANTS by force…"

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet, Chairman." Setsuna responded, as he tried to defend the Yamato name for Feldt's sake. "If anything, we should establish contact with them first before we make our next move."

"Then I'll leave it in your hands, Captain."

"Sir, I'm only a co-"

"Not any more. I'm promoting you Setsuna." Adrian smiled. "I want this matter handled quickly. Confirm for yourself what the intentions of the Three Ship Alliance are, who they are allied with, and if they do stand against us, capture Kira and Lacus Yamato. Dead or alive."

Setsuna looked at Adrian blankly, trying to hide the feeling of anger and frustration at hearing such an order, knowing that no matter what action he took by following Adrian's orders, he would end up killing Feldt's parents. Standing up calmly, he saluted, and left without a word, when a vibration on a miniature terminal echoed in his shirt pocket. Reaching into his left breast pocket under his uniform jacket, he pulled out a blue terminal and read the message. The message was short, and to the point.

_Descend to Earth; Kira Yamato's actions decide our plan. –Tieria_

Setsuna quickly deleted the message, and tucked the small box back in his pocket, thinking to himself as he played the message from his subordinate in deep space over and over in his mind. "So… that's what I need to do? Feldt, I'm sorry… but I need to do this for you."

* * *

Time seemed to drag on for hours as a message printed slowly out of the printer. The paper that fell into the tray was promptly picked up by Cagalli, who looked over it carefully before she read it aloud. Her eyes widened a little bit more with every letter and character she skimmed over, finally reading from the beginning, loud enough for Kira, Athrun and Judau to hear. "Concerning the exchange for prisoners of war, Shinn Asuka and Mayu Hawke, the Earth Alliance is hereby declaring an ultimatum towards the return of these two prisoners?"

"What?" Athrun cried out in shock.

"This language…" Kira grimly muttered. "Casval's got something big planned…"

"The prisoners are to be returned only after the arrival of the ZGMF-X30A Eternal Freedom has arrived at Panama Airspace, piloted by Carrus Yamato…" Cagalli continued with amazement. "The Eternal Freedom is to be escorted by two Murasame class Mobile Fighters. Upon arrival of the Eternal Freedom, Shinn Asuka will be set free along with the ZGMF-X42S Destiny, and escorted to Orb Airspace by the Murasame units?"

"What the hell is this? They're just giving us old man Asuka?" Judau exclaimed.

"There's more…" Cagalli grimaced. "Once safety of Shinn Asuka and Carrus Yamato is confirmed… Mayu Hawke will be released into the custody of Carrus Yamato and allowed safe passage back to… Orb Airspace?"

"Crap!" Judau yelled out. "Why would they give up BOTH prisoners for nothing?"

"Listen to the request again Judau…" Kira growled silently. "Those demands are too specific towards escort size, strength, and even the pilots used. Casval's planning to do something involving my son…"

"Kira, I'm sorry." Athrun answered sternly. "But Carrus and Mayu are both my responsibility, not yours. I cannot allow this exchange to happen."

"What? This is a good thing!"

"Are you deaf?" Cagalli burst out at Judau. "Casval intends to use Carrus for something! Maybe strap a nuclear warhead to his Mobile Suit, possibly for some experiment…"

"Either way, this is too dangerous." Athrun sighed, believing he had to leave Shinn and Mayu to die. "We'll be putting Orb's forces at risk if we let this exchange go on.

"But what IF he's going to exchange them both for nothing?" Judau argued.

"He won't." Cagalli answered angrily. "Casval La Flaga is known for his dangerous and often obvious tactics, and will willingly do something like this to strike us right where it hurts…"

"And usually, it's by putting pressure on one or two individuals…" Athrun sighed, looking worriedly at Kira. "In this case… Kira and Carrus."

Judau looked around the room, seeing Kira, Athrun and Cagalli remain silent. The tension in the room drove him madder with every second, and he decided to speak his mind with a raised tone. "Look, I know you damn Adults keep saying that's what's going to happen, but what if Casval does give them up without a trap? You're so damn-"

"JUDAU!" Kira yelled suddenly, forcing a deathly silence to befall the room once more. Kira stared at the table, his head in his hands, as his eyes looked through the gaps in his fingers. Getting up slowly, he walked toward the door to leave the room, when he paused for a moment. "This is Carrus' decision, not ours. If we decide for him, he'll never forgive me for this."

"Kira." Athrun sternly interrupted, looking at the back of Kira's head. "I don't want to remind you of the painful truth, but Carrus hates you with every fibre in his being. We need to do what protects Orb and not your own feelings."

"I know that, Athrun." Kira sighed. "But even so, if that was Cagalli in the base, wouldn't you be the first to fly there alone?" Athrun paused for a moment to consider Kira's words, not wanting to admit Kira was right. "We're soldiers, and I agree we need to do what we can to protect our homes, but we also need to stay true to our own hearts. If we can show kindness instead of force, isn't that going to take us one step closer to peace?"

"This isn't a time to follow our hearts Kira. That could end up killing hundreds or thousands of people."

"I know… but I still want to let Carrus decide." Kira answered. "He's the one who has to go there; he's the one who has the right to decide if it's worth saving her." As he finished, he opened the door, and left promptly, heading straight for the Archangel.

* * *

_**(M.N: Soundscape to Ardor, Shoji Meguro)**_

Carrus frowned after listening to Kira's brief report to him. Lacus sat in her chair, her body trembled at the very thought of what Kira said to her. Carrus' eyes saw the worry that Lacus had, even though she attempted to disguise it with a smile. Carrus looked back to Kira, as he slowly began to talk. "So why tell me all this? Did you honestly think that we should go with this?"

"That's up to you." Kira answered simply.

"And what if something DOES happen to me, you want the blame to be shifted onto me because it was my choice, don't you?" Carrus' voice began to rise in pitch and deepen in tone, as his began to crinkle angrily.

"No. If something were to go wrong, it would be my fault for letting you make your choice instead of listening to your Uncle Athrun."

Carrus growled deeply at Kira, turning his gaze away. "You're despicable… always taking the blame for everything that fails, even though it's not your doing to begin with… and all because you force yourself on these situations…"

"Would you rather I stand by and let the world try to fix itself?" Kira answered candidly, simply confusing Carrus even more.

"No! But still… It's because of that I don't even know who the hell you are… I barely know your own face if it weren't for those pictures of you at home… I can't even begin to understand why Feldt still has so much hope for you…"

"Carrus…" Lacus whispered.

"Mother was always home you know!" Carrus barked at Kira. "She always tried to save the world from the colonies! But you always had to leave for the front lines! And now you've dragged me into it with that damn machine you made!"

"It wasn't so different for me when I was your age." Kira answered with a frown. Carrus looked at Kira in surprise. "You studied your history right? So you know I was the pilot of the original Strike Gundam, during the first Bloody Valentine War, correct?"

"Ye… yeah…?" Carrus stammered, as Lacus slowly stood up and left the room.

"Then you probably never learned what I had to do. The only reason I fought was to protect some friends, including your Aunt Cagalli I might add from a ZAFT attack force. I never chose to pilot the Strike without seeing them in danger. Had I never been near the Strike, I wouldn't have used it, and the world would be very different today. But the fact is I did!" Kira began to yell, taking Carrus by surprise. "And I knew that by doing it, I would end up fighting Athrun of all people! My own best friend, and you say that I dragged you into this? Your reason to fight never once outweighed my reasons not to!"

"Se… seriously?" Carrus was amazed at his father, unable to comprehend even slightly what was said, never knowing that his father and his godfather had once fought against each other.

Kira quickly calmed down, but he was clearly still tense from his outburst. "I'm sorry Carrus… I forget that your life truly was different… you have to know that I designed that machine to protect you the same way the Strike once protected me. And even though I lost, and got the Freedom in return, only to fight even more…"

"No matter what, the moment you started, you couldn't finish…"

"It was all for someone. I just had to protect someone very dear to me… the same as you…" Kira smiled, sitting down on Carrus' bed.

"You mean… Mother right?"

"…Not at first…" Kira sighed. "I have to know… Do you truly love Mayu… and does she truly feel the same for you… does being with her actually make you happy?"

"Why are you asking this?" Carrus asked.

"Because I want to know you are fighting for the right reasons." Kira quickly answered looking at Carrus with the most sincere look he had ever seen his Father give to him. "There was someone before your mother."

"What?" Carrus was shocked even more. "Before… Why are you telling me this?"

"Because looking back now… I loved her. But at the same time… She lost her father in a battle in space, one that I tried to protect him in, but Athrun was there, and I ended up fighting against him. He was killed by a lone Ginn that destroyed the battleship he was on, and afterwards …" Kira paused, looking down at the palm of his right hand, staring at the scar that lay embedded in it. "…Never mind…"

"What happened?"

"She died… Killed in a shuttle at the battle of Jachin-Due."

"Oh…" Carrus sighed. "Kira… I'm sorry… If I had even the slightest idea…"

"I never told you or Feldt for a reason." Kira chuckled nervously. "Your mother had spent the better part of two years trying to heal the emotional scars left on me, and what's ironic is I never really had a chance to recover until I fought in the second Bloody Valentine War."

"…That so?" Carrus smiled.

Kira nodded slowly. "So, does Mayu truly care for you like you do for her."

"Kira… she spent months improving her grades in high school, graduated early to University, chased me down to Onogoro island, stuck with me during an invasion, and has never let me out of her sight since. Believe me, I don't care for her nearly as much as she does for me. And I love her with all my heart…"

"Then that's all I need to hear." Kira chuckled, rubbing the top of Carrus' hair. Carrus felt annoyed, yet assured at the gesture, almost as if a gap in his life had just been filled. "Get some rest, if you want to rescue her, you need to be well rested, all right?"

Carrus nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah. Thanks… Fa… Da… uh…"

"Just call me what you want." Kira chuckled. "You are who you are after all."

_**(M.N: Kaze No Kodou, Sato Toshihiko)**_

"Momma's boy! Momma's boy!" Carrus suddenly jerked his head toward the door, which had suddenly opened, and Mister Pink had bounced in, with Lacus crouching at the door, her face turning bright red. Kira burst out laughing, and Lacus' face screwed up into an unsatisfied glare that was directed at her husband.

"It's not what it looks like!" Lacus grouched, throwing her hands into her hips, her silver dress rippled against her body the moment her hands crossed her hips.

"I really do wonder where Feldt gets her quiet nature from if it's not from you or me!" Kira sniggered.

"Kira. She DOES get that from you…" Lacus grumbled, making Carrus flick his gaze between both of his parents constantly, only to sigh and give up trying to understand his own family.

"No wonder I left Augustus to live with Uncle Athrun… He's way cooler than you two…"

* * *

_**(M.N: Unified World, Kenji Kawai)**_

Casval sat at his desk quietly, watching the radar screen avidly, waiting for the sign that three Orb signals would appear on the edge. His patience was truly being tested, having to wait for the moment he had been waiting for. He took no notice to his door sliding open, and Shinigami walking in to stand behind him.

"Uh… sir?"

"Any news from our scouts at the PLANTS?" Casval interrupted.

"No sir, but the President of the Atlantic Federation is getting anxious to hear your war report." Shi answered promptly. "After all, we did take heavy losses in the last battle, including a Destroy Gundam which cost the government alone over thirty billion-"

"Such a bureaucrat…" Casval sighed.

"I agree sir." Shi answered. "But he did say, and I quote: 'all you did was kidnap some Coordinator girl, her estranged father, and turn the neutral union of Orb into a country out for blood over their citizens unfair capture'. Not to mention the negative press of Raven attacking Januarius… The Earth Alliance hasn't received such attention since the second Bloody Valentine, and Logos really fucked that up sir."

"I know… I know…" Casval answered.

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Go ahead."

Shi cleared his throat, his narrow eyes fixed on his commander. "We should just hand over the girl and her father."

"Out of the question."

"Though I respect your desire to change the world, and I would follow you to the end to help you realise it, the fact is that we are at a major disadvantage right now. We will end up looking like Logos did and have the citizens turn against us at this-"

"The Earth Alliance is no longer the lapdog of Logos like it was in the past, Shi." Casval continued, turning in his chair to face Shinigami with his deep blue eyes. "We are a completely autonomous force owned by the people, for the people."

"Sir, they're accusing you of mass-murdering civilians!"

"I know they are…" Casval sighed. "But right now, Coordinators are our enemies as long as Adrian Viper controls them in the palm of his hand…"

Shi lowered his gaze, closing his eyes in wonder. "At this rate, we'll turn the world against us…"

"I know." Casval scowled. "We have few options right now… We must continue our operations as they are. We will act in defence from now on, no longer offense, but the girl does not leave until I allow her to. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Shi answered with a loud clack of his heels, and a snap of a salute to Casval, who stood up and returned the gesture. Shi turned away, marching out of Casval's office, and out the door. He looked up to the screen again, and narrowed his eyes as he remembered Kira's expression in the last battle.

"Kira Yamato… What will your next move be?"

_**(Closing: Tsunaida Te, Li'l B)**_

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

I know, whole 'nother chapter. Awesome, right?


	22. Carrus In Panama

**Chapter Twenty One: Carrus in Panama**

_**(Opening: Brightdown, Nami Tamaki)**_

_Feldt walked down the halls of the central hangar, where the centre of all research was being held for ZAFT usage. The guards allowed her to pass, as Lacus allowed her special access to the non-restricted hangers such as where they were creating many new mobile suits. Feldt had heard that Setsuna was down at one of the hangers but wasn't informed as to what he was participating in. Feldt came around the corner and stopped seeing the gold faceplate of one of the newest models of transformable Mobile Suits, known as a Hellion, looking right at her. Feldt looked down and saw rows of them upside down facing the railing with empty sockets in their backs._

_"Hey Feldt." A voice called out. Feldt looked over her shoulder and saw Ian Vashti, the chief mechanic and researcher of the PLANTS, walking towards her. "What are doing here?" he asked walking over in his usual white shirt and jeans. _

_"I was looking for Setsuna. I wanted to try to talk with him." Feldt responded with a shallow frown._

_"Shoulda known…" Ian chuckled, as he scratched the back of his head. "If you continue down the rail you'll come to the end and there will be a door to your left, go through it and you'll find a blue and white mobile suit."_

_Feldt looked up at Ian, struggling to keep a smile on her face. "Sounds like a Gundam type…"_

_"...Yeah, that's the one kiddo. Setsuna is inside trying to set it up correctly. This has the first line of GN drives in it. And get this, there are two of them."_

_"Is that really possible?" Feldt asked thinking about the theory behind the GN drives as proposed by her father._

_"We're trying to see if it is. Setsuna is the one who helped design them anyway; GN drives are sure as hell a lot safer than nuclear reactors anyway." Ian yawned a little. He was clearly tired. In all of the visits she paid to the research facilities, she had known that Ian wasn't very good at letting himself get enough rest during a major break in his research. "Well... Go ahead and find him, this is a dangerous place for a kid in the first place." Ian said giving Feldt a slight push as ZAFT pilots started entering the room and started lining up in front of different Hellions. _

"_Well... this is your facility I suppose…" Feldt sighed, as she turned and began walking alongside the railing and stopped when she saw a Mobile Suit with a similar head unit to the Gundams she had read about in various textbooks. Looking to her left, she saw a door in the middle of the railing. She realized that the outside was a large, clear barrier meant to keep the machine separated from the rest of the hangar. Feldt entered the door and could see a large hanger which had different support cranes around the Mobile Suit. There was a GN drive in either shoulder of the lean Gundam._

_"All systems online, commencing GN drive sync." Setsuna said monotonously as he began typing along the control panel. The controls lit up and the drives started making a humming sound. Setsuna got ready to move Exia but as he grabbed onto the controls the humming died down, "Damn. That wasn't it either." Setsuna sighed going back to his control going through different sync codes, "maybe...level 4.3 to...4.5" Setsuna thought seeing that one GN drive for whatever reason wasn't being synced at the same level so maybe increasing it would increase the sync rate. Setsuna continued typing and looking through the system to make sure no other programs rewrote themselves. Setsuna heard a knock on the cockpit hatch and looked over the console and slide it to the side before he hit a switch to open the cockpit. "I'll need more time on Exia to figure out the sync ratio." Setsuna said looking away from the hatch and started using the console that was now to the side of him. _

_"Hi Setsuna..." Feldt's voice said in response._

_Setsuna's hands stopped for a moment but he kept looking at the screen before he went back to typing, "Hello Feldt." Setsuna responded._

_"Are you able to talk right now?" Feldt asked climbing inside and sat on the hatch._

_"Mhmm." Setsuna responded not even looking toward her._

_"Um...I need to talk to you about something. You see...there was this guy I like and he doesn't feel the same." Feldt explained sighing hanging her head down._

_"Mmm hmm." Setsuna said again not even seeming to pay any attention._

_"I'm wondering if maybe it's me and if I should try something to get his attention? What do you think?"_

_"Mmmmm hmmmmm."_

_"Are you listening?"_

_"Mm hmm."_

_"Do you admit that you're a Gundam nut?"_

_"Mhmm."_

_"I knew you weren't listening!" Feldt cried turning away with an annoyed look spreading across her face._

_"I admit I am a Gundam nut. It sounds more like you are thinking too much about this guy. After all, you're a beautiful girl so there's no need to get worked up over this. It can wait after all. You're only fifteen, so you have a while still." Setsuna stopped to look up at Feldt after finishing his calculations and turning the console off. He began to look up at Feldt, noticing she wore a yellow long sleeved T-shirt, but Setsuna ended up looking at her legs, which were clothed in a set of black stockings, with a set of black shorts over them. He froze up seeing Feldt, unable to speak for a moment as he began to blush slightly. "Uh...and also...um..." Setsuna looked away, as Feldt began to move, not seeing where exactly he was looking._

_"What's wrong?" Feldt asked but Setsuna shrugged, moved to the console, but forgetting he had turned it off. His hand twitched as he thought to himself that Feldt may ask questions, so instead he slowly looked back. His eyes lit up and his face blushed to a bright red over his olive skin, seeing Feldt was right in his face. "What's the matter?" Feldt asked again._

_"I… I just thought about what could be wrong with the sync ratio." Setsuna answered nervously, trying to look away from her, his eyes slowly drifting toward her chest, making him blush even more._

_"Is it alright if I stay here for a bit?" Feldt asked sitting down and leaning against Setsuna' legs._

_"Well…" Setsuna thought for a moment, unable to resist Feldt's blinking eyes, which seemed oddly appealing for an unknown reason. "I don't see why not."_

_"Do you really mean that Setsuna?" Feldt asked with a wide grin, leaning her head back to face her grey eyes into Setsuna's ember._

_"Mean what?" he asked looking back, blinking with a confused look on his face._

_"About me being beautiful?" She said looking back down at her lap hiding her blush._

_"Ye... Yeah I did..." Setsuna responded with a slight chuckle, whilst looking to his console._

* * *

Setsuna woke up, noticing that he had arrived above orbit over earth. Quickly checking his location, he turned the 00 Qan [T] over the planet, plotting a course to the planet surface. Shaking his head thoroughly, he tried to distract himself from his memories. He hated remembering the better days, as he felt undeserving of those memories. "Feldt… why did all of this happen?" Looking into his pocket, he pulled out a photo from two years ago, a photo of him, with Feldt clinging to his arm in one of the cheesy photo booths in a shopping mall. It was a night to remember, especially for him. He was on a night off as insisted by Ian, so he spent it by checking on Feldt, who was sixteen at the time. It was the last time he and Feldt spent quality time together before the election that saw Lacus Yamato removed from the position of Supreme Chairman after four successful terms.

Setsuna let out a deep sorrowful sigh, it was the first time he ever felt so close to anyone, and Feldt was the one person he would want to share that experience with. He casually put the photo into the frame of the controls, as a reminder to fight for her sake, even if since the day the photo was taken, he had lost almost all contact with her. "I will end this war soon… I promise… to reform this twisted world."

* * *

Carrus flicked at a few controls. As he slowly approached Panama. The Two Murasame's that were ordered to follow him flew either side of him, staying in their mobile armour configuration. A siren suddenly wailed, alerting Carrus that there were incoming Mobile Suits, and sure enough, five Enacts flew overhead, travelling much faster than he was. The enemy Mobile suits circled around, and flew in front of the Eternal Freedom, signalling him to follow them by light signal. Carrus grimaced, but followed them down, landing on the tarmac of the Panama air strip, the Murasame's following closely. As he landed, Carrus noticed the Destiny step out from one of the hangars near the central complex. Carrus' eyes widened, and he called out after opening a comm to the Destiny.

"Mister Asuka? Shinn! Is that you?"

"Just shut it!" Shinn snapped over the line, appearing on screen. "Look, I was given instructions not to talk to you and Mayu would be safe, you got that?"

Carrus looked at the Destiny completely surprised, as it suddenly took off, the Murasame's quickly following Shinn. Carrus' gaze followed the three Mobile Suits, when an Earth Alliance officer suddenly sent a transmission through to him. "Eternal Freedom pilot, Carrus Yamato, make your way to the central hangar. You will be escorted by the five Enacts who have just landed beside you. Sure enough, the five Enacts from earlier landed next to him, and led him to an immense building, loaded with Mobile Suits, mostly Jegans, but at the very end, Carrus' eyes widened, seeing the Chaos, Gaia, Abyss, Gale Strike, Deathscythe and Heavyarms, all lined up and deactivated. Carrus breathed a sigh of relief seeing all six Mobile Suits had reverted to their dark grey appearance signalling a total power down. He was guided to a docking station next to the Abyss, and shut the Freedom down, it's Phase Shift faded out, and reverted to the same grey shell.

As his front hatch opened, Carrus stepped out, greeted by a man, slightly shorter than him, with a long mane of blue hair and light blue eyes. He wore an Earth Alliance blue Special Forces uniform, with a patch that was labelled as a member of the eighty-first autonomous unit. The man smirked at him, and looked up at Carrus with a sadistic smile. "So, you're that babe's little boyfriend huh?" Carrus turned his gaze away, trying to ignore the man who was confronting him. "Feh, whatever. I'm not giving a crap over someone like you anyway. Just get a move on." The man led Carrus through a series of hallways, where various soldiers stopped and stared at Carrus as he passed, when his escort was greeted by another man, who wore a unique grey and black uniform suddenly stopped him. He was considerably older than his current escort, with grey eyes and red hair, a small yet prominent scar lingered over his right eye.

"I've been informed to take over here."

"Whatever…" The blue haired man replied, wandering off into the distance. Carrus watched after him as he walked off.

"Get in." The new man announced. Carrus turned to face him, seeing he was standing next to an open elevator. Carrus stood in the elevator in total silence for only a moment, when his new escort suddenly spoke up. "Carrus Yamato right?" Carrus threw a look to the man, but never said a word. "Figured you wouldn't say a word, so I'll just say it, I'm not with the Earth Forces. Name's Kayos Harbinger, I'm a mercenary who wants out of this place."

Carrus looked up in surprise; his eye line went straight to Kayos, who simply peered at Carrus through the corner of his eye. "A mercenary? Why are you telling me this?"

"Simple." Kayos began. "Because The Earth Forces can't keep up with many of their talks. You won't find many soldiers these days who are loyal to the Earth Alliance after Logos screwed everyone over, so Mercs like me are pretty common here. Fact is, that most mercs don't mind the work they're given, but me and my team have been screwed over for years, and I finally want out. Problem is, that ain't gonna be easy."

Carrus turned back to the door, leaving the sound of the elevator only as the only noise in the conversation as they made their way to the top floor. "And what do you expect me to do about it? I'm not here to help everyone who's-"

"I was at Januarius when it was attacked." Kayos interrupted. Carrus stopped, and looked back at Kayos in surprise, wondering why he would mention something like this so suddenly. "You heard about it, right?"

"I saw a report on it, yeah…"

Kayos took a shallow breath and continued with a sigh. "I watched that colony get torn apart because of some stupid orders, and it's only because one of my men was captured, and I was trying to rescue him. But the guy I was working with stole one of those Mobile Armour, the Kshatriya? Ended up causing all hell on that colony."

"Was he an Extended?" Carrus asked.

"By the name of Raven, yeah." Kayos answered honestly. Carrus looked at Kayos with a shocked, yet expecting look, the news was surprising, but also he knew that Raven would be capable of such an atrocity. "I think the death toll for civilians after all the holes that were punched in the colony was labelled into the nine hundreds… thing is. Whole reason he came was to acquire the Dragoon technology and a GN drive. I watched that kid slice Flags and Geara Zulus to pieces, not to mention Impulses and even a new machine. And just as I escaped with my man, he fired off every weapon he could, and opened so many holes, I'm surprised the death toll was so low. Frankly, if this place supports anyone like that, than I truly have just lost all faith in this place."

"I've fought Raven three times now." Carrus announced, grabbing Kayos' attention. "I guess I can sympathise, I saw him fire on other Mobile Suits with the Earth Alliance, and I'm not shocked at all at that news you told me… but even so, I don't know if I can trust you just yet. If you're a mercenary-"

"I get it, kid." Kayos chuckled, taking Carrus by surprise. "Fact is, you're not trusting anyone because it's the best way to survive, right?" Carrus hesitated for a moment, but nodded slowly. "As I thought. Look, when you head out, one of my guys will be waiting for you, he'll take you straight to your machine while I prep mine. We'll grab your girl and get outta here, because I trust that Casval guy as much as you, okay?"

"Uh… yeah." Carrus answered, as the elevator slowed down, and opened its doors promptly. Carrus stepped out, as Kayos' words stuck out to him. He was confused, but tried to keep focused for the task ahead. He took a few slow steps forward, stopping in front of a large pair of wooden doors. He slowly reached for the golden handle on the frame, when the handle turned and opened outwards, making Carrus yelp in surprise, as a very tall man with neatly cut blonde hair and blue eyes stepped out. Carrus recognised him instantly, seeing him properly for the first time, Casval La Flaga, standing in a black Earth Forces uniform. Carrus took notice of a small scar between his eyes, which looked like no more but a scratch, but it left a mark as the Black Meteor's previous battles.

"Carrus Yamato." Casval announced, bearing no smile or sign of anger, he was completely calm, unlike Carrus, who tried to hide the shaking in his left arm. "Thank you for taking the time to come here."

* * *

Shinn landed on an island as designated. He turned around, watching the Murasame's fly out of sight, and toward the South Pacific Sea, He felt so helpless, being torn away from his daughter after a series of such brief reunions. The message passed on to him from the pilots of the Murasame's left him feeling confused and irritated. Suddenly, a rock hit the hull of the Destiny, and shook the image in Shinn's cockpit on impact. Shinn looked quickly to the source, to see Brandon standing below him, signalling Shinn to follow him. Shinn watched Brandon run into the forest, stepping the Destiny forward, whilst avoiding stepping on Shinn. Brandon suddenly turned, signalling him to crouch, and Shinn obliged, kneeling the Destiny down. Suddenly, a series of covers were thrown around the Destiny. Next, Shinn unfastened his safety belt, and slid out of his cockpit, leaping to the ground, as Brandon walked up to him.

"Sorry about not informing you about all this earlier sir." Brandon apologized, whilst wearing his white pilot's suit and holding his helmet, engraved with a Unicorn figurehead on the point of his Orb helmet.

"All right, what the hell are you doing here?" Shinn growled. " I get told by those Murasame pilots that as soon as we get out of Panama I descend to this Island in the middle of the ocean, and next thing I know, I find your smug ass. So what's going on?"

"That would be my fault…" Shinn turned his head, as Lawrence appeared behind him. "I apologize for the sudden revelation, but right now, we need to treat your daughter as still being a captive. So far, this is a rescue mission."

"Under whose authority?"

"Admiral Zala." Lawrence replied simply. Shinn looked at Lawrence with a blank stare for a moment, when he smirked, and walked past Lawrence without an argument.

"I am so hitting that guy when we get back…"

"It's only because everyone knows you're still a lot better than Carrus, sir." Brandon called out.

"Kiss-ass." Shinn murmured, when a crack in the bushes got his attention, and he looked to his side, seeing a fairly short Chinese girl with short black hair, and a taller broad shouldered man with silver hair walk towards the group. "Who are they?"

"Lotte." The man replied.

"And Kat." The girl continued, sounding in sync with Lotte. "We are the pilot of Orb's Gundam Harute, which contains the third of the original GN drives made by ZAFT."

"…Pilot? You guys creep me the fuck out." Shinn sighed.

"You'll get used to it." Lawrence replied. "How far did you two get?"

"Not far…" Lotte answered. "It was easy to stay undetected thanks to the GN drive on Harute, but the problem is that we had to fly into the Stratosphere to avoid detection. All we got was a general layout of their base."

"Their forces have a wide net, and as far as we can tell, they could have as many as two hundred Enacts on us as soon as we attack. At least." Kat continued. "Sorry about not getting more than that."

"Don't be…" Lawrence continued with a shallow smirk. "The information you acquired is just what I need…"

"What are you thinking?" Shinn asked.

"We wait and see first. Who knows, maybe Casval La Flaga may just allow Carrus and Mayu safe passage out, but if not within four hours, I trust you will help us get them back?"

"'Trust me to help you get them back'?" Shinn sarcastically chuckled. "Listen, I really don't care for Carrus for the fact that he's dating my daughter, but he did protect her at Morgenroete, so I'm indebted to him just enough to agree to fly out for him. And it goes without saying I'm helping my baby girl get home, you got that?"

"Err… I was just checking…" Lawrence nervously answered, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his neck. "Anyway, get some rest mister Asuka, you'll-"

"Shinn."

"Huh?"

"You make me sound like some old bastard who's kept in bed, my name's Shinn."

"Very well Shinn." Lawrence chuckled, as Shinn walked toward the base camp, his thoughts only lingering to Mayu, who was still trapped within the enemy base.

"Hold on Mayu… I'll be back soon…" Shinn sighed, as he looked to the sky, in the direction of the base.

* * *

"Entering phase two of the mission plan, all parameters matching laid out mission plan. Setsuna F Seiei, continuing mission." Setsuna had landed on the planet surface, and began to fly toward the theorised location of the Orb fleet that had supposedly deployed for 'training manoeuvres' as reported to the Carpentaria base. Setsuna looked all around him, wondering why the sky remained so clear, and no ships were within the vicinity. The air felt tense to him, so he landed on a small island, somewhere near Brazil. Setsuna took his helmet off, opened his cockpit and breathed a mouth full of fresh air, when the hum of thrusters suddenly caught his attention, and a crash behind him alerted him.

"So, we meet at last, Setsuna?" A voice called out. Setsuna grimaced on hearing this unknown voice. "Please, step out of the 00, I just want to talk. I'll leave my Mobile Suit as well."

"What?" Setsuna was confused, when suddenly, the unmistakable ring of a cable being lowered echoed in the silence. Setsuna hesitated, but he slowly left the comfort of the 00 Qan [T], and lowered himself to the ground. Turning past the 00, Setsuna froze, seeing the Strike Freedom standing tall behind the 00, and toward him, strode a man with long brown hair, and violet eyes that looked at Setsuna with a fiery determination. "Kira Yamato!"

* * *

**_A Note From the Author_**

Another big hand to CyberSlayer128 for writing that flashback guys!


	23. Ever Changing Destiny

**Chapter Twenty Two: Ever-Changing Destiny**

_**(M.N: 00 Qan [T], Kenji Kawai)**_

Setsuna looked upon Kira in total shock and horror, a thousand thoughts rushed through his mind as he tried to figure his actions out. Why was he here? Why risk capture? Why come alone? Why leave the former Chairman? These were but a handful of questions that confused Setsuna beyond anything he had ever felt. But the biggest question had to be the most infuriating of all: Why see me?

"You seem anxious." Kira smiled kindly. Setsuna gasped in shock at the mention of this. Kira had analysed him in a single moment without much warning. "Please, don't be. I just came to talk." Setsuna stood by in total silence, unable to speak a word out loud to Kira, who had always served as an ideal for Setsuna, a man who fought for peace, and never allowed himself to be defeated entirely, even in the most hopeless of circumstances. Despite all this, Setsuna drew a pistol from his hip holster, and clutched at it with both hands, holding it at Kira's chest, not noticing how much he was shaking the barrel in fear and anxiety. Kira sighed as Setsuna shook the pistol at him, even chuckling a little as Setsuna aimed the barrel down at his own heart. "And here I thought we wouldn't need weapons…"

"Kira Yamato…" Setsuna answered, trying to hide his anxiety behind the angry words he spoke. "By the name of ZAFT Supreme Chairman, Adrian Viper, I am placing you-"

"And what made you think I would come quietly, if at all?" Kira interrupted sharply.

Setsuna was dumbstruck hearing such a response, seeing a fiery determination in Kira's eyes. "Mister Yamato, please. This is not just for ZAFT; this is for your daughter's own good! If you don't come with me-"

"You expect me to believe all of ZAFT will just use my daughter, or just you?" Kira snapped. The answer began to infuriate Setsuna who couldn't comprehend Kira's logic. "I'd imagine that seeing as how she's lived on her own in three months with no contact with my wife in that time, and no contact from me in about sixteen, it would be rather difficult to arrest her for such a charge like conspiracy, don't you think?"

"Chairman Viper will find a way to convict her! She's in danger if you don't come quietly!" Setsuna's voice started becoming desperate the more he talked to Kira.

"No Setsuna. He's just using you to try and get me."

"Do you even care about her?" Setsuna roared in anger, throwing his arm holding the pistol behind him in a frustrated rage.

"It's because I care that I've abandoned her." Kira's calm voice only served to make Setsuna glare at him harder, and with a greater fixation than before. "You may think it's cruel, but Feldt is not meant for the battlefield. Neither was Carrus, but he made the choice to fight, all because of the attack at Morgenroete three months ago."

"That doesn't change the fact you've left Feldt alone!" Setsuna snarled in exasperation. "How could you tell yourself it's the right thing to do?"

"It is because of others I cannot take the right path."

"You dare pin this on someone else?"

"What would you rather I do?" Kira answered simply. Setsuna hesitated, not knowing the answer for himself. "It's because others cannot simply accept peace like Lacus and I have been trying to teach for years, or like what Cagalli and Athrun practice within Orb. If it was because the whole world called for war, then maybe I could just say it was my fault for being so naïve… but that isn't what's happened. It's because people like Adrian Viper turned the system into one great big power grab, and someone from the opposition had to select a champion who would gladly start a war. That champion was Casval La Flaga. And he is just as guilty as Adrian Viper is with letting all this spread. Could you really tell me that all this is simply because I failed? No, Setsuna. It is because-"

"A select few individuals couldn't stand the peace…" Setsuna gasped, as he began to understand Kira's words, loosening the grip on his own firearm. "So they took up arms to fight those who would call for peace across the earth, just to preserve the way of life…"

"So, you do understand, like I do." Kira answered grimly. "You are a Newtype."

"Wrong, I am an Innovator." Setsuna snapped, gripping tightly onto his pistol again. "I am beyond any Newtype!"

"Are you really sure of that?" Kira answered with a frown. "Innovators are simply a branch of Newtype who have the ability of using Quantum Brainwaves. There really is no difference between you and other Newtypes. You are all capable of understanding the truth of humanity. Aren't you, Setsuna?"

Setsuna's amber eyes shook, his vision began to feel blurry as he began to fight with his own consciousness, his arms began to shake again, and his fingers began to loosen around his pistol. "I… I just…"

"You really can't believe me can you?" Setsuna's eyes narrowed in an angered rage at the sound of Kira's voice, who was beginning to sound more and more like a preaching pariah than the able soldier he had heard of. "Then there really is no point in talking to you." Kira began to walk off, heading back to the Strike Freedom. Just as he clutched the table, he began to call out as he slowly turned back to face Setsuna. "Just one more thing. I don't care for how you may say you fight for peace. Peace by killing those who have no business in war is meaningless."

"What? I have never-"

"I know what you did in the past Setsuna." Kira growled, as the Strike Freedom raised the cable he leaned on towards the cockpit. "I know you claimed to fight for peace then. Just because your allegiance has changed doesn't make your reasons more justified." Setsuna's eyes widened in shock, wondering how Kira knew about his own past, which no one in ZAFT had heard of except for Adrian Viper. "And if you do threaten my daughter again, just because I swore not to kill, doesn't mean that I'm not prepared to shoot you down. Do I make myself clear?"

Setsuna growled as Kira entered the cockpit of the Strike Freedom, and closed the hatch. Acting quickly, he ran towards the 00 Qan [T], preparing himself for his next action.

* * *

_**(M.N: Unified World, Kenji Kawai)**_

Carrus stood still, trying to hide his clenched fist from Casval's sight. He glared with a very sombre anger, at the same time trying to relax his nerves, constantly reminding himself to stay calm in the face of the Black Meteor himself. Casval was different, looking down at Carrus with a very blank expression, making him impossible to read. A sure sign that he was much more experienced with such matters than the young soldier of Orb. "Well, you must be tired after that journey." Casval suddenly announced with a small smile, which had a small trace of arrogance in it that Carrus barely felt. "Please, do come in. I have tea prepared for the pair of us."

"I'm not here for a party." Carrus snapped with a very cold expression. "I came here for Mayu. Nothing more."

"Patience Mister Yamato." Casval answered, as he turned into his long office, which had a large oak table in the centre, and in the centre was a single china teapot, steam rising from the spout, and a pair of matching cups on either side. "We have much to discuss before I consider releasing Miss Asuka… Oh, my apologies, she took her mother's maiden name, that's right…"

Carrus grit his teeth hearing Casval continue to stall. "I said cut the crap. Where is she?"

Casval sighed deeply as he reached for the teapot, proceeding to pour into both cups. "Perfectly safe…" As he finished, he placed the Teapot on the table, and flicked a switch, with a live video feed that played on a large screen on the side of Casval's dimly lit office. Carrus' eyes widened, seeing Mayu on the other side. She looked well, still in her pilot suit, and laying on a bed, throwing an apple against a bunk that was just above her. "As you can see, she is unharmed and very well. Would you care for some milk?"

"Cut it with the damn tea!" Carrus roared. "Not only do I have no proof that isn't a recording, for all I know, my cup could very well be laced with something!"

"And what would I have to gain by killing you?" Casval plainly responded.

"You'd throw my parents into trauma. That would be a big enough blow for you."

"I suppose you are correct…" Casval smiled slightly, sitting down behind the table, and picking up clicking on another switch. "Mayu, can you hear me?" Mayu suddenly looked up, and sprang from her bed, making Carrus widen his eyes surprisingly, seeing her so alert. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to talk to her, but I think that will give you some incentive to chat for a while, correct?"

Carrus looked down on Casval, who crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair. After a few moments, Carrus hesitatingly pulled the chair in front of him out, and sat down, as he leaned forward, laying his elbows into the table, and place his chin in his hands. "Talk all you want."

"Good boy." Casval smiled. "Tell me, why do you think I called you here?"

"I don't know." Carrus growled. "I do know that if you wanted to talk to my father, you would have called him out. It would give you the perfect opportunity to kill him too, seeing as how I get the feeling you know he would come out for not just Mayu, but Shinn as well. After all, he and Shinn were enemies, but they reconciled almost twenty years ago. If anything, I want to know myself."

Casval smirked a little hearing those very words. "I thought you would. It is in response to what I found about your battles with Raven. You always seemed to display traces of what I can only guess is effects of the SEED."

"The SEED?"

"Yes. An unknown trait that is an acronym for the Superior Evolutionary Element Destined-Factor."

"Seedfuh?" Carrus sneered trying to pronounce the whole acronym at once. "Now I know why they shortened it… so what the hell does this have to do with me?

_**(M.N: Epic Poem to Sacred Death, Motoi Sakuraba)**_

"Why would I ask you about this? There isn't a lot known about this, other than it is clearly a Newtype ability, and not a common one for Newtypes. Tell me, what do you know about Newtypes?"

"Well… that they can be either Natural or-"

"Incorrect."

"What?"

"Well, not a pure Newtype. See, Coordinators can be gifted with the SEED, but it is something unlocked through genes, something I uncovered within the notes of one Gilbert Durandal. I take it you know of him?" Casval looked at Carrus with watchful eyes, and saw him nod in response. "Durandal believed highly in the idea of evolution, but figured out that Coordinators are physically incapable of it, seeing as how they are improved artificially. However, there is one bizarre trait that in rare occurrences, Coordinators possess, and currently, four recorded Coordinators are the only ones to have it. That trait is the SEED."

"And Shinn, Uncle Athrun and both my parents are that four…" Carrus whispered.

Casval nodded slowly. "However, Cagalli Yula Autha also possesses the SEED, which leads me to believe that Gilbert Durandal was right in believing that as she and your father are of the same blood, that it is hereditary. The fact that you are so adept in battle so far leads me to believe that you may also be the key to unlocking the secret of this, as the records say, that Newtypes who gain spatial awareness, will be able to understand not just humanity, but all life within the Earth Sphere, and Innovators are simply Newtypes who may not be able to understand, but they can communicate through the use of Quantum Brainwaves. Newtypes can also use them, but at a very limited point, much like how Innovators have limited understanding. But both of these new species are insignificant before you, for the SEED bearer is said to be the being that can see the truth."

"The truth?" Carrus asked, blinking his eyes firmly in disbelief. "This is beginning to sound bogus…"

"Bear in mind Carrus, that we cannot be sure, especially seeing as how the people call for Newtypes to be soldiers. With their natural abilities in combat, that humanity has no true use for your kind other than to wage their own wars. Why do you think Logos created Extendeds? Not just to kill Coordinators, but to artificially induce the Newtype status in a person."

"Art… artificially induce?"

"Indeed. This was done on all fronts, but Extended are very difficult creatures, they gain the ability, but not the comprehension to even be human in many cases. This is what causes them to fail, seeing as how it is because of this comprehension that we humans can fight so well, because we find the cause we want to fight for, and giving up means losing that which we cannot. Does this make any sense at all?"

"What you're saying sounds more like philosophy and belief than actual science." Carrus observed. "No one could take such an idea seriously, maybe not even these Newtypes you speak so highly of."

"That is true. But such an idea is a necessary one. Especially because maybe Newtypes do not stop evolving at Innovators or SEED bearers…"

"What do you mean?"

"You can use Quantum Brainwaves… can't you?"

"Wait… what?" Carrus blinked. "Well… according to your logic, I'm a SEED bearer, right? So… that means I kind of have them on a small scale…"

"Not according to the instruments loaded into Raven's destroy you don't." Casval surmised, making Carrus look at him in a very confused way. "Apparently your Quantum Brainwaves have read at a level far beyond any recorded Innovators, but then again, all we have to compare you to are some rejected batches from the Extended labs."

Hearing the term 'rejected batches' did something to Carrus. Suddenly he snarled, and slammed his palms into the table, leaped to his feet and roared at Casval. "You're talking about humans your scientists experimented with! Don't act like you don't have a part in it!"

"You're right. I'm just as involved as the scientists themselves." Casval calmly answered, taking a sip of tea, despite Carrus' outburst. "You are speaking to the one time chief researcher of the Extended and Newtype laboratories situated in Heaven's Base."

Carrus looked at Casval in shock, completely unbelieving in such news, but his anger had not been calmed. Instead, he continued to raise his voice. "You bastard! You'd tell me something like that? Why the hell would you want to reveal something like that?"

"Why do you hate me so much for that position? It was your own father who was our chief backer."

"Wh… what?" Carrus sudden angered stance had faded almost instantly, his knees felt weak, and the fire in his eyes had frozen away, and he began to sway at the news."

"He never told you? For a man who claims to value honesty so much, he does love keeping secrets from you…" Casval chuckled, delighted at the news, when suddenly, a tall man entered in through the doors behind Carrus. "Ah, Weiss. I am done with Carrus now. You may take him to Miss Hawke."

"Yeah." Weiss answered with little effort. Walking over, Weiss slapped his hand firmly on Carrus' shoulder who jolted under the weight, still unable to comprehend the news. "Come on, kid. We're going."

Carrus was silent, and still unable to say a word. Weiss ended up dragging him along to the elevator, and shoved him in. Carrus leaned against the railing inside, slapping his face with the palm of his hand, trying to wake up from his dreamlike state. "It can't be… it can't be true…"

"What the hell did he say to you?" Weiss suddenly replied.

"None of your damn business that's what!" Carrus snarled in return.

"Kid's got fangs." Weiss sighed. "You realise I'm one of Kayos' men, right?"

"K… Kayos? Who's…?" Carrus struggled to remember for an instant, as he tried to remember his present situation.

"Forget it… you're shaken up. Just do yourself a favour and stay awake long enough to pick up your friend. We'll worry about what was said to you later. All right?"

"You make it sound so easy…" Carrus growled.

"It's how I've lived kid." Weiss answered, just as the elevator stopped moving, and he stepped out. "Get moving. I'm sure that friend can let you lean on her or something." Carrus hesitated, but he followed Weiss down the hallways, not saying a word as he tried to organise his thoughts. When they reached the end, Weiss stopped just outside the maximum security cells, and he proceeded to tap at the keypad in front of him. "Look, focus on the now is all I can say. Deal with the past when your troubles now are finished, all right?"

"Ye… yeah, you're right…" Carrus sighed, taking a deep breath to try and clear his mind.

Weiss finished typing, and began to step back as the thick steel door in front of him slowly opened, to reveal a young man standing behind it, with a thick head of jet black hair, a red scar lined under his right eye. "What the?"

"Hey." The man smirked, a wide sadistic smile stretched across his face, raising his arm, revealing a pistol, and fired seven rounds into Weiss' chest. Carrus' eyes widened in shock and horror, and almost instantly, drew his own side arm, and nearly drew it in front of him, when the man swung his arm around and aimed at Carrus' head. Carrus grimaced seeing the man aim his pistol between his own eyes. "Don't bother Yamato junior. One shot is all I need, and you don't have the time to kill me first!"

_**(M.N: Hi no Shizumu Kiza, Sato Toshihiko)**_

Carrus looked at the man in astonishment, knowing the sound of this man's taunts from many previous battles. "Wait a minute… I know your voice! Are you… Raven?"

"HAH!" Raven laughed loudly. "What do ya know? You remember me after all this time!"

"I last saw you in that battle you ass!" Carrus snarled. "Or don't you remember falling from space in a Mobile Armour? How did you even survive? I saw your Destroy get vaporised by Lawrence!"

"Oh, was that what you saw?" Raven chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment as he laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you… I just have a habit of not dying that easily… especially with this highly durable body of mine… I flung myself out of that thing and crashed into the ocean the moment Shadow detected a major power surge coming at me."

"Shadow?"

"Don't ask questions." Raven snapped, smiling with sinister eyes. "After all, there's a reason I killed that guy and not you. I want you to see something. And your girlfriend's coming with us."

"Where is she?"

"In there you dumb fuck." Raven smirked, pointing behind him with his free thumb. "Go back there and get her before I go in there and shoot her first."

"Bastard…" Carrus growled, running past Raven, Carrus ran into the prison cells, and found Mayu in her cell, gagged and with her hands handcuffed behind her back. Mayu flicked her head over to Carrus, her eyes widened on seeing him. "What the hell?"

"Oh yeah, I may have made a scene while you were on your way down. You know, so Casval would send back up when it was too late and I had his most precious guests as hostages." Raven smirked, standing watch outside the door, reloading his pistol casually. "And if you take that gag off the bitch, I shoot her in the leg. Her whining's infuriating…"

"You're scum, you know that?" Carrus barked out the door. He turned back to Mayu, opened her cell, and helped her to her feet. Carrus threw his arms around Mayu quickly, embracing her tightly before he whispered to his beloved. "Sorry I'm late… I promise I won't let you go again…"

As he pulled away, Mayu looked at him longingly, trying to say something under her gag, but it only came out as a murmur. Raven walked in, and jabbed his pistol shaft into Carrus' back, making him loosen his grasp on Mayu's shoulders. "This isn't a moment to bone her. We're leaving."

"Not exactly tact, are you?" Carrus smirked, holding Mayu with one arm, his other arm shielding her from Raven.

"I'm not the one making out with my life on the line. Get moving." Raven frowned, swinging his pistol toward the door. Carrus hesitated, but slowly walked Mayu out of the prison cell, being led by Raven's every instruction. Carrus noticed after leaving the prison cell, that several steel bulkheads had sealed around the various hallways, leaving a single path in front of him. He looked back at Weiss' body as he passed it, Mayu had thrown her eyes into Carrus' shoulder when she saw him, he had bled out, and now lay lifeless on the steel floor. Carrus led Mayu into the empty hallways, seeing several automated systems had activated in the hallways, and had gunned down the soldiers that roamed them. Carrus shielded Mayu's side, shocked at the brutality of Raven's attack on his own forces.

"Why all this Raven?" Carrus asked bluntly.

"Hm?" Raven grunted, raising an eyebrow, as he followed Carrus.

"Why go to all this trouble? You realise that you can't escape an entire base by yourself, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Which is why when I get to the hangar down this hall, I'll get what I need."

"What are you even trying to do?"

"Why should I tell you?" Raven blinked, he was confused at Carrus' questions, unable to comprehend the idea behind such illogical words. "It's not like you'll understand why I do it. No one does besides him."

"You mean this… Shadow?"

"Psh. No." Raven smirked, as if it was the most obvious answer to the simplest question that Carrus didn't know. "He's just a machine. Right?" Raven chuckled, stopping at an immense series of hangar doors, when at a console next to him, a hologram projected, revealing a black dragon with wide red wings, that sparked to life in a single spark., taking Carrus and Mayu by surprise when they looked at him.

"All systems clean Raven, you are cleared to take the Judgement."

"The what?" Carrus asked, blinking in confusion as the doors opened, and inside, a series of lights started to turn on. Holding Mayu closer to him, Carrus and Mayu both looked in surprise, when the saw a dark grey hulking figure, three times the width of a Mobile Suit, and several metres taller. It resembled a very thick bodied Gundam, with a large blade like spine in its centre head, two very large and menacing side pieces, attached to a backpack that had some form of beam Cannon and Dragoon storage system on each side arm. On each hip was a Beam Rifle, and in its core, was a large core, green in colour, but even more menacing, was the presence of two GN drives, one on each shoulder, under the backpack. "Oh shit… oh shit… That's a Gundam…"

"Complete with my own GN drives." Raven smirked. "This is why you're here Carrus Yamato." Carrus looked at Raven in horror, unable to come to terms with Raven's psychosis. "To see your own harbinger!"

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

Yup. Raven's a psycho indeed.

Coming up, Setsuna VS Kira. Look forward to it.

~Vaxercon


	24. Judgement's Name is Gundam

**Chapter Twenty Three: Judgement's Name is Gundam**

"All this just to kill me, Raven? Really?" Carrus exclaimed as he gazed on the Gundam in front of him, while Raven walked down the ramp towards the Judgement's cockpit. "You must be nuts! Why go through all this? All we did was fight in space!"

"It's because I'm a weapon." Raven growled. "Did you really think that all this was just to do with you?"

Carrus lowered his head in anger, glaring a thickening glare at Raven, as he slowly took a step around Mayu, moving his arm in front of her as a barrier. "You called it my Harbinger. You tell me."

"Psh." Raven smirked as he threw his hair out of his face. "You really think I had intended to devote all my hatred on you? Don't be so condescending. You're not the most important person in the world; you're just some kid who showed up on the field of battle."

"So, you don't believe in what Casval believes…" Carrus answered with a deep tone. "You don't believe in Newtypes at all."

"Newtypes? You sound like another of his brainwashed lackeys now!"

"Brainwashed…?" Carrus muttered, as he remembered what his father said to him aboard the Archangel, moments before he had left for Panama.

* * *

"_Carrus!" Carrus turned just before he put his helmet on, seeing his father run out into the hangar. Lowering his hand from the ladder to the Eternal Freedom, he took a few steps toward Kira who approached him promptly. "I didn't realise you were heading out so soon…"_

"_Sorry…" Carrus chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm kinda in a rush to get Mayu back…"_

"_Listen, there really is no need." Kira interrupted, placing his hand on Carrus' shoulder. "Especially if Casval is involved, that's exactly what he wants you to do."_

"_Huh?"_

"_The first thing Casval wants is to stretch your patience to its limit. Once he has you in the palm of his hand, he's known to talk, usually about something you don't understand, but this is mostly to get you to believe in an idea."_

"_An idea? What idea?"_

"_I don't know…" Kira answered honestly. "I know it always has something to do with his own ambitions, so if he does start to talk, take note of what he says, but try not to get too involved in what he does say. Make sure when you get back that you tell me everything he said."_

"_Yeah, but-"_

"_EVERYTHING." Kira emphasised. "We need to learn his intentions, all right?"_

"_O… okay…" Carrus answered hesitatingly._

* * *

Carrus grit his teeth. He had fallen right into Casval's words, and it was all because he heard his father had been the main backer of the Newtype and Extended labs. What made him feel worse was that it was Raven who snapped him from his trance. "Oy… oy…" Raven chuckled, as Carrus snapped from his daydream, remembering Raven was in front of him. "He really got to you good… what, he spill the beans about Yamato senior?"

"What do you mean?" Carrus growled.

"'Parently not… Ah well, not my problem." Raven smirked, turning towards the colossal Mobile Armour behind him. Slowly, he began to walk to the cockpit, which opened a hatch just above the core, that ran along the chestplate. Stepping inside the cockpit, Raven shut the hatch behind him, and the eyes on the judgement began to glow a deep red.

Carrus acted quickly, running to Mayu and quickly releasing her gag. "You okay?" He asked, gasping as the Gundam's colour changed from a metal grey to a deep maroon with yellow outlines along the edges.

"Yeah… yeah I'm fine!" Mayu smiled, trying to reassure Carrus, who grabbed her tightly with his arms.

"Okay… just come on, we're making a break for it!" Carrus swooped Mayu's legs up with his arm, and began to carry her out of the hangar as the Judgement edged away from the platforms.

From inside the cockpit of the Judgement Gundam, Raven watched, slowly stroking his chin as he watched Carrus run from his Mobile Suit, Mayu in his arms. "Well, can't say I thought things would be this smooth…"

"They won't be." Shadow's deep voice echoed across all speakers, as he spoke from within the machine. "This machine is flawed."

"Flawed? Yeah, I know. The power supply isn't stable enough; this thing uses way too much juice, even for the GN Drives… On top of that, the recharge cycle limits to a Phase Shift down…"

"Not the best machine in a lengthy battle." Shadow replied. "Are you sure about this? If we bust out, we may be involved in some heavy fighting."

"Just let me worry about that." Raven frowned, as the consoles lowered around him, and he began stroking his fingers against the smooth pad in front of him, where the joysticks were in a regular Mobile Suit, igniting hundreds of friendly signals within the large side arms on the backpack. "How many Fangs all up?"

"Forty Zaber classes… Twenty four Saurer classes and eight Breaker Fangs… all systems operational, all weapon diagnostics complete. Fangs are now linked into the Fang control system, linking into Quantum Psychocommu now."

"How long until take off?"

"Thirty seconds and counting."

"Then let Casval know I'm taking his toy." Raven sneered.

* * *

Carrus ran down the hall, Mayu clutching onto his hand tightly, the winding corridors were laced with entire squads of slain soldiers, killed by the automated weapons in the base that went wild within the building. As Carrus swerved around a corner, he was grabbed by a pair of strong hands, and spun around by a single man.

"Carrus!" Mayu screamed, who was suddenly grabbed by a pair of soldiers as Carrus was torn from her grasp.

"Hey! Let her go!" Carrus roared, when suddenly, a pistol that slipped from under his elbow emerged from the soldier holding him, and pressed against the base of his neck. Carrus froze, hearing Mayu squeal as the weapon was brandished against him.

"Quiet mister Yamato." Shinigami grunted, as he stroked the trigger that threatened Carrus. "You're hardly in a position to tell us to let the girl go."

"Captain Payang, what are your orders?" One of the soldiers who held Mayu questioned, drawing Shi's gaze away from Carrus for a brief moment.

"These two are to be detained. We can't afford to let them go free now that Raven has stolen the Judgement." Shinigami answered promptly. "If Orb wishes to wage a war with us because they disagree with our actions here, that will be better than Raven going on a rampage outside."

"So now what? Now I'm your hostage as opposed to your precious 'guest'?" Carrus snarled at Shinigami, his gaze narrowed as he gazed up at his captor.

"The only difference is now we cannot let you go without suffering repercussions." Shinigami answered simply in a tone-less voice, as he looked down on his captive. "How you see us is of no consequence to me or other members of the Earth Alliance.."

* * *

"Power levels normal, estimated power supply if you stick with basic Beam weapons and Beam Sabres will last for approximately seventeen minutes." Shadow analysed as the hatches opened, and the Judgement slowly raised into view above ground. Raven stared upwards through the screen, unflinching as the sun opened in front of his face. He sneered, seeing the clouds approaching from the west began to darken and rumble. "Note that this time does include the primary defensive barriers, so make sure to take advantage of them where possible."

"All right then… setting to maximum P.S strength…" Raven chuckled, flicking a switch, the Judgement 's colour intensified for a moment, and the colour returned after a brief moment. As the Judgement flickered, thirty Jegans ran out of hiding, aiming a variety of Beam Rifles, Bazookas and Cannons at the Judgement. As they took aim, Raven could hear the disgruntled voices of the soldiers over his comm. Raven chuckled at the chatter, cracking a sinister smile.

"FIRE!" One of the squad leaders roared, making the cue for all of the surrounding Mobile Suits to open fire. Dozens of beams, missiles and cannon shells streamed over the plain, and struck their target, causing a series of explosions that covered the Judgement with smoke.

"Did we get 'em?" Another soldier asked with a squeaking voice. The air felt tense as each Jegan pilot watched the smoke, a clap of thunder sounded that jolted the pilots suddenly. As the smoke began to clear, the pilots yelped in surprise, seeing a black and silver sphere cover the Judgement, whilst inside, it was completely unharmed.

_**(M.N: Death Saurer, Robert Etoll)**_

Raven laughed maniacally within his cockpit, as his prototype GN field glistened gloriously outside, standing defiantly before the assault. "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! No army is standing before me!" As he continued to roar with laughter, the Judgement burst forward, its feet left the ground, Beam Sabres ripped out from the wrists, and Raven sliced one hesitating Jegan in front of him, and stabbing another beside it, before it could react. As the rest aimed again, Raven spun, and the sidearms raised in front, and eight Fangs raised from concealed platforms, firing dead ahead at each target whilst staying within their large arms. Raven jeered, as the beams fired one after another, striking each Jegan in its core, detonating the Mobile Suits, and throwing the others with the following explosions. As Raven continued to fire, an Enact transformed right above him, swinging a Beam Sabre down, as three Jegans surrounded Raven with their own Beam Sabres.

"HAH! You're in the way!" Raven snarled sadistically, and the Judgement burst upwards, and stabbed the Enact through the chest, and ripped through, tearing it in half, catching the three Jegans in the shockwave. Five Enacts flew around to fire their weapons, whilst the Judgement simply stared at them with little action. "Hey Shadow! Is the Particle Cannon ready to fire?"

"At any point, but I do not know how much power will be used Raven…"

"Then let's find out…" Raven snarled, as thirteen more Jegans swept in front of him on the ground, aiming at Raven's hull. The Judgement lowered its Sidearms to lie parallel with the body, and the central core opened up. Within, a thin barrel emerged, and from the shaft, a series of beams linked up from the core, and the GN drives on the shoulders began to whir at an incredible speed. The linked beams began to produce a sphere of silver light that grew in mass to cover the torso of the Judgement. As the Earth Alliance forces below continued to fire on the Judgement, the rounds simply smacked into the appearing GN field, dissipating in a flash of light. Once the beams began to crackle and strain, the core erupted into a bright blue beam, that ignited the battlefield, sweeping up the centre of the base, and vaporising everything in its path. It continued to swerve up and around, as the Judgement turned, sweeping the beam across Mobile Suits, vehicles, infantry, hangers, buildings and even the landscape around the base.

Raven laughed hysterically, the weapon had been a brilliant success, much greater than he had suspected. "Yes! YES! This is it! The power I need to finally purge humanity! At long last I can finally break free of this cursed disguise!"

"Breaking free sounds pleasant, but you just consumed sixty three percent of your power after firing the GN Particle Cannon for nearly thirteen seconds."

"Who cares?" Raven rebutted. "With power like this, who needs to worry about something like power limits? Just start the recharge, and prepare to fight the Yamato kid!"

* * *

The building's foundations shook violently, and the sounds of explosions ripped through the metal walls of the hangar above Carrus' head. He stared above, eyes shaking at the constant detonation. Shinigami's hand tightened at every explosion, knowing the base would fall within minutes as long as Raven fought outside. He remained steadfast, as he walked Carrus deeper into the depths of the building, leading the boy into the bunkers, Mayu following closely as she was shuffled by her guards.

"He's going to keep killing everyone you know." Carrus growled, trying to catch Shi's attention. "He won't stop unless he fights me."

"I know that." Shi murmured.

"So why keep me down here?" Carrus exclaimed, turning his head to his side. "Surely it would be better to use me as a decoy!"

"Carrus!" Mayu yelped worryingly at Carrus' own suggestion. "Are you trying to get yourself killed out there?"

"Listen to your lover, Yamato." Said Shi with a sombre tone. "To go now would be suicide."

Carrus spun around in a frenzy, surprising Shi at his bravery, even if it seemed foolish to him. "Oh, yeah. Right. Tell that to the soldiers who are dying out there! Better one than a hundred! Don't you even care about anyone besides yourself?"

"Considering your life is worth a million of them, no. I do not." Shi answered honestly. The mention of such a thing angered Carrus, his eyes arched, showing his utter discontent. Shi raised his pistol further up, aiming at Carrus' heart, his trigger finger lightly pressed against the trigger. "Now move if you do not wish to cause more deaths because of your ignorance of world affairs."

"I'm not special compared to those soldiers damn it…" Carrus snarled.

Shi sighed, moving the pistol towards Mayu's chest. Mayu gasped, hearing the click of the safety, and Carrus jumped, almost swearing that Shi pulled the trigger. "She is not important, just another ignorant Coordinator. I have orders not to kill you, but this girl is an exception. Do you really want to risk losing her just to protect those hundreds of soldiers who are prepared to lay down their lives in the name of duty, or do you want to protect this cowardly girl who has no such obligation, all so you can protect as many people as you decided need saving over you or her?"

Carrus was shocked; his legs began to wobble as he tried to recover from the click of the safety, and seeing the fear in Mayu's eyes. "No… please don't!"

"How many would you even save anyway? By the time you get to a working Mobile Suit, and draw Raven away, he would have killed the majority of those who stayed to defend the base." Shi continued, his deep voice began to gnaw into Carrus' soul. "So you would not only have yourself and the girl killed, but you wouldn't even save that many. Did that thought even cross your mind? Or are you really so greedy you would risk everything for your own self-satisfaction? You are no better than the people who twisted the world from its peaceful origins."

"Are you comparing me to Raven?"

"Raven, Kira Yamato, Lacus Clyne, it doesn't matter. You all would die for your own beliefs. It's sickening."

"And what about you?" Carrus burst, his teeth gnashed as he roared at his captor. "You telling me you're a soldier who doesn't even fight knowing he will die?"

"If I die, it will be because the people wish it, not my own selfish ambition." Shi answered with a deep stare, Carrus glaring deeply into his crimson eyes as he continued to talk. "Your cause is nothing but self-righteous posturing."

"At least I'm actually fighting FOR others, and not because they tell me to…" Carrus sneered.

"Maybe, but not to satisfy my own masochistic ways. Now, will you go, or shall I shoot this girl?" Just before Carrus could answer, a couple of shallow pops were heard, and the guards holding Mayu fell to the ground, a bloody hole protruding in their backs. Before Shi could turn, a small figure with a silver ponytail leaped onto Shi's back, brandishing a curved dagger at his throat. "What the fu-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" The little man giggled. "NO SWEAR! Imma learn your bad language!"

"Nice work Twi." An aged voice chuckled. Carrus looked in shock to see Kayos with a silenced pistol in his hand walk out from behind Mayu who looked shockingly at Kayos. "Hey Payang. We quit."

"Kayos Harbinger…" Shi growled frustratingly. "What is the meaning of this?"

"HE SAID!" Twi squealed in Shi's ear, making him clasp his ears. "WE! QUIT!"

Carrus was in disbelief; his eyes were wide and blinking constantly as he looked at Kayos and Twi in shock. "Kayos… you came out here?"

"Moment I saw Weiss, I knew it had turned to crap." Kayos growled. "Come on, we're going."

Mayu looked worryingly at Kayos and Twi still shaking from the ordeal from earlier, slowly edging towards Carrus. "Carrus… who are they?"

"I… guess they're my employees?" Carrus chuckled.

"Wait." Kayos interrupted, shooting Shi in the leg. Shi screamed in agony, collapsing to the ground, as Twi leapt over him, and landing by Kayos. "Consider that my resignation sir. So, shall we mister Yamato?"

"Idiots…" Shi snarled like a caged animal. "You really think you're getting out? Do you even know what you're fighting for if you leave now? You're betraying the entire Earth if you let the boy get killed now!"

"Betraying? Nah, we're rebelling!" Carrus yelled, as he punched Shi on the bridge of his nose, cracking it, and smashing the back of his skull into the ground with the force of Carrus' arm, knocking him unconscious. "Awesome! Hey! Mayu! How badass was that?"

"CARRUS!" Mayu yelped in disbelief. "Now's not the time for that!"

"We'll laugh later." Kayos answered, getting a loud giggle from Twi. Kayos paused for a moment, as Twi shrugged with a wide, toothy grin. "Anyway… just follow me, we're getting to the hangar." Kayos turned, beginning to walk back the way he came.

Carrus paused, as Twi ran past him, following Kayos. "Yeah… and by the way…"

"What is it?"

"He never suffered. Raven killed Weiss quickly."

"…Thanks." Kayos murmured, before running into the corridor, Twi following. Mayu looked to her rescuers, and back to Carrus, taking his hand with a small smile. Carrus looked to her, smiled and ran, with her holding his hand tightly as they began their escape.

* * *

"We've got smoke coming from the base!" Lotte yelled out over the radio. "Looks like a full on attack is taking place!"

"What?" Shinn roared in surprise, sitting at the campsite hearing Lotte's announcement.

"Any idea who's behind it?" Lawrence called out into the mic.

"It's big… really big." Kat responded. "They're under attack by an unmarked… I don't know… Mobile Armour? It looks too small to be one… but it isn't an ordinary Mobile Suit!"

"Shit…" Lawrence swore. "Wait at your position! We're heading out!"

"Roger!" Lotte and Kat responded simultaneously. Before they cut out.

Lawrence leaped to his feet, looking at Brandon who sat beside him. "Brandon! Get ready to launch!"

"Sure thing!" Brandon nodded with a determined gaze, running to the Blue Frame Astray in the forest.

"Mister Asuka… err… Shinn, it's time." Lawrence announced, as he began to run to Wing Zero which knelt next to the campsite.

"'Bout damn time…" Shinn growled, smashing his fist into the palm of his hand. "Hold on Mayu… I'm coming back…"

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

Sorry for the late addition everyone, it's been hectic as. Hope to get a few chapters out there in the next few weeks, we'll see how it goes.


	25. Dogfight Over Panama

**Chapter Twenty Four: Dogfight Over Panama**

A storm of bullets soared around and above Carrus' head as he clutched Mayu by the shoulders. Mayu ran in front of Carrus, struggling to keep looking in front of her as the pair rushed into the main Mobile Suit hanger. Kayos slowly backed into the doors that Carrus had bolted through, firing a pair of pistols toward the pursuing soldiers, Twi cartwheeling after him. The guards ran toward the door that Kayos closed behind him. Their eyes jerked at the sight of an onyx canister with a pink note on it that had fallen onto the ground, which simply read, 'surprise!'

Kayos had ducked behind cover, as the bomb on the door exploded with a loud bang. Looking up with a chuckle, he laughed at the prank that the guards fell into. "Heh! Great work Twi!"

"Nevar saw it coming! I be leet!" Twi chuckled.

"Come on! We gotta go!" Kayos leaped to his feet, bounding towards the Heavy arms cockpit and under the metal hatch, flipping a few switches and toggling some buttons. Twi on the other hand, readied himself within the Deathscythe as Carrus shuffled Mayu into the powered down Eternal Freedom. Carrus leaped into the Freedom himself, flicking the switches as he leaped in to the seat, as Mayu clutched to the back of the seat.

"Damn it… why'd they have to be that destructive…?" Carrus frowned.

"I know…" Mayu whispered. "But we still need to get out of here at whatever cost, right?"

"You're beginning to sound like Casval La Flaga." Carrus began to grumble. "It's real irritating."

"Carrus?"

"Hey! You two ready?" Kayos called over the comm, as he shoved a microphone over his head and set his microphone to fully tune, all while he settled into the seat of the Gale Strike Gundam.

"Shut it!" Carrus snapped angrily. "We didn't need to kill them you murderer!"

"Yeah, we didn't need to kill them if you didn't want to get out with the same quantity of blood you had when you got in." Kayos answered as he powered up his Mobile Suit. "Look, these guys are soldiers, prepared to lay down their lives, right? You let 'em survive in a battle, and you'll only hurt their pride."

"… And he kinda sounds like my dad…" Mayu whispered to Carrus softly.

"I noticed." Carrus growled as the Gale Strike and Deathscythe began to rush out of the hangar. "Look, just hang on and don't squirm. We're going to be flying, and that means a rougher ride compared to what I was doing in the Strike months ago."

"Okay." Mayu nodded, clutching the back of Carrus' seat. She watched as the Deathscythe launched in front of the Freedom, followed closely by the Gale Strike. "You sure we can escape?"

"Hey… look who you're talking to!" Carrus smiled. "I promised I'd get you outta here, and damn it! I'm going to!"

"Now that's hot…" Mayu chuckled in Carrus' ear, as the Freedom began to run out of the hangar. As it approached the open doors, Carrus flicked a switch, the wings of the Freedom spread, and it flew out of the building, as the Heavyarms detonated, throwing all surrounding Mobile Suits to the ground in a rush of flame and pressure.

"Whoa… whoa!" Carrus jerked up on the controls, and Mayu gripped tighter on Carrus' chair as the Freedom took to the skies. "There we go again! You just blew up-"

"That was for Weiss…" Kayos interrupted. "Don't lecture me now. He would've wanted one last chance to throw our enemies off, all to complete our mission."

"Oh spare me the sentimentality!" Carrus jerked his head to the side upon hearing the sinister voice. As the Freedom hovered over the burning base, the Gale Strike and the Deathscythe spun around to spot the Judgement, flying at Carrus, his right beam Claymore raised over the shoulder as Raven swooped in on his prey.

_**(M.N: Shuumatsu no Anji, Sahashi Toshihiko)**_

"Carrus!" Mayu screeched loudly, almost immediately, Carrus slammed his feet down on the pedals, and the Freedom jolted forward as the Judgement lodged its Devine into the tarmac below.

"Son of a bitch!" Carrus roared as he jammed on the controls violently, trying to evade the Judgement's left sidearm, which had pivoted toward him, firing off several beams in his direction. "Was he just waiting for us?"

Mayu clung tightly to the chair, as the Freedom swayed to and fro away from the beams that scorched the terrain around her, the beams grazing against the hull of the Freedom. "We need to run Carrus! We can't compete with that monster!"

"I know, damn it!" Carrus growled, raising the Railguns on the hips, and firing three rounds from each cannon into the Judgement. Before the smoke faded, Carrus squeezed the trigger again, and the Impulse cannon in the centre of the Freedom's torso surged into the Judgement's location, causing a large explosion that blanketed a large portion of the airstrip in thick smoke.

"You get 'em?" Twi called out, as the Deathscythe hovered just over Carrus' head.

"Don't count on it." Carrus scowled. Sure enough, multitudes of beams blazed from the smoke, and the Deathscythe and Freedom scattered. While they escaped, Raven's roars of laughter echoed through the speakers, and the Judgement stood straight on the same spot, covered by a sphere of black and silver specks. "What the?"

"The fuck is that sphere?" Kayos spat from his console, the Gale Strike looming behind the Judgement.

"Some new weapon?" Mayu exclaimed.

"What, this old thing?" Raven sniggered. "Oh, my GN field isn't anything too special. It's just a way of utilizing GN particles to make up for the limits of PS armour against that all powerful Impulse Cannon of yours…"

"Bastard…" Carrus clenched. "You can't take me without some kind of super weapon?"

The very insult from Carrus made Raven snort loudly in amusement. "Please. You're not that special. This isn't just for you, rather, to destroy an army of… say… ZAFT's finest? Or maybe given how I'm seeking to take them out, a one man assault on the Earth Alliance's most fortified bases?"

"That thing's worse than those Destroy Gundams…" Kayos snarled.

"Worse? What makes you think that Innovator boy?" Raven chuckled, alerting Carrus as to Kayos' identity.

Kayos roared, as the Gale Strike dived, drawing its two ribbed swords and swinging them on top of the Judgement's GN field, the blades slowly began to penetrate the GN field, but were quickly stopped when the forearms of the Judgement revealed two built-in Beam Sabres, which parried the swords effortlessly. "Maybe that psychotic ego of yours gave you away!"

"Hah! Like you haven't killed enough of the Earth Alliance just now!" Raven snapped. "Your hands are just as red as mine!"

"I knew when to stop!" Kayos was quick, his boosters surged, and the Gale Strike landed, swiping both arms of the Judgement away with one swipe, and thrusting a sword at the cockpit of the Judgement, when a sidearm slammed the Gale Strike away, forcing the thrusting sword to drop to the ground. Suddenly, the Deathscythe lunged from behind, swiping its Beam Scythe along the back of the Judgement, before Raven caught the pole with one of his freed arms and kicked the Deathscythe away from its trademark weapon, crushing it in hand.

"All you knew how to do was pick a fight you couldn't win, Innovator." Raven was smirking into his view screen, knowing full well Carrus was watching him, looking helplessly at Kayos and Twi as they tried to keep Raven away from him.

"Damn it Carrus!" Kayos cried out. "Get outta here!"

"But…!" Mayu called into the screen. "We can't leave you!"

"Mayu's right!" Carrus said with a fiery determination in his eyes. "I refuse to let you two get killed alone!"

"Better the two of us die rather than all four of us!" Kayos snapped, as the Gale Strike got to its feet, and drew its beam rifle, firing off a couple of shots into the sidearm of the Judgement. The GN field deploying instantly and fending off the shots.

"Besides!" Twi snapped, drawing a pair of Beam Sabres from a fallen Jegan. "Kayo knows that if he stays behind, I'm stupid enough to follow him!" The Deathscythe sprinted toward the Judgement, leaping and slashing in a crossing fashion that called for Raven to parry with a Devine, the beam erupting from his right sidearm and pushing Twi's Suit into the ground, slowly crushing its legs under the pressure of the massive weapon.

"And we can keep him off you as long as possible!" Kayos answered, lunging at the distracted Raven, discreetly drawing a dagger from the Gale Strike's hip holster, as the sword swung into the left sidearm's Devine.

"'Keep him off you'?" Raven sniggered as the Gale Strike revealed its disclosed dagger, plunging it at the Judgement's neck. "How retarded do you think I am?" The Judgement suddenly slid backwards, forcing the Gale Strike to fall toward the Deathscythe, allowing Raven to swipe at the extended arm of the Gale Strike with a Beam Sabre, cleaving the arm at the elbow.

"Kayos!" Carrus screamed, watching as Raven swung his freed left hand Devine through the torso of the Gale Strike, cleaving the Mobile Suit in two. After a few moments, a pod flew out the back of the Gale Strike, and the Mobile Suit exploded.

"Now… where was I?" Raven chuckled, not paying attention to the Deathscythe, whose knee joints had been crushed, leaving Twi to flail the torso about pathetically. "Oh yeah… sweet, sweet revenge against that Freedom…"

"N… now what?" Mayu stammered.

"I… I don't know…" Carrus was jittery, Kayos and Twi lasted little more than a minute, and Raven was simply staring at Carrus, expecting him to make the first move.

"Well? You coming?" Raven snickered, as his right Devine lowered to the neck of the Deathscythe. "Or do I gotta kill someone to make you get down here?"

Carrus began to show how terrified he was, he knew Raven could see the clumps of sweat that fell down his face and neck, and couldn't control how to show himself to his opponent. "You… you wouldn't…"

"Look at my face, Yamato Junior!" Raven yelped happily. "Tearing this guy open isn't a problem for me! Or do I gotta choke that bitch in your cockpit first?" Mayu yelped, reaching for her neck in shock on instinct hearing this. She and Carrus were speechless, as the sun began to set over the burning base. The entire setting was almost apocalyptic, as the Judgement stood defiantly on the tarmac. "Well? I'm waiting!"

_**(M.N: Trans-AM Raiser, Kenji Kawai)**_

Suddenly, a clear and red blast screeched at the Judgement, catching Raven's attention. With a grimace, his GN field was raised, deflecting the blast from his side. Carrus and Mayu's face grew wide with surprise, looking up, as two golden beams flashed at the Judgement, forcing Raven to jerk away, his GN field began to flicker after taking the beams head on. Before he could react again, the Gundam Harute screeched overhead, transforming, and firing a burst of beams on top of the Judgement.

"Carrus Yamato!" Lotte called out over the mic, as he opened his channel to Carrus.

Mayu gasped happily, and Carrus yelped in shock as he called into his comm to Lotte and Kat, who now appeared in a monitor "Lotte? What are you doing out here?"

"Damn! Another GN machine!" Raven snarled.

"Confirmed." Shadow interrupted. "Only one GN drive… but that isn't a mass produced model, it's much faster than the Judgement.

"Only in its fighter mode!" Raven sneered, as the Judgement lunged toward the Harute, swinging its Devines around and at Lotte and Kat, who instinctively drew a Beam Rifle, and activated the built in Beam Sabre, and fended off Raven's attack, when suddenly, a Blue Astray flew from behind Raven and swung a massive sword on top of Raven. "Aw Shit!" Raven cursed, barely catching the sword with a Devine, as it scratched the side of the right sidearm, which had now begun to parry his attack.

"Damned machine…" Brandon murmured through grit teeth inside the Blue Frame Astray. "Why kill so many of these soldiers? What'd they ever do to you?"

"Heh!" Raven snickered. "You some kind of a psychologist? Cause you seem to be getting into my head!" Raven was quick, as he spun, smacking Harute away, and stabbing the Astray through the head, and ripping the massive sword from its grasp, and hitting it with the blunt edge toward the ground.

"UGH!"

"Brandon!" Mayu cried out as Brandon fell, watching the Astray tumble through the sky.

"Fall back Brandon!" Carrus was surprised to now hear Lawrence, as the Wing Zero flew out from below, wielding both Buster Rifles, firing off pot shots at the belly of the Judgement.

"What? This it?" Raven sniggered, raising his GN Field in defence, stopping the powerful beams from the Wing Zero dead, as he fired shots at the Harute, which had taken a couple of hits through the left shoulder and leg.

"Raven! One minute of power before we reach critical levels!" Shadow interrupted urgently, his face appearing on all spare monitors as Carrus fell behind Lawrence, firing more shots at the GN Field, trying to keep out of harm's way. "And the way your GN Field's taking these hits, I doubt you'll hold out even that long!"

"Shut it Shadow!" Raven barked. "I KNOW what I'm doing!" When suddenly, a familiar machine seemed to burst from the sun, sword in hand and flying on wings of light, which began to swoop down above the Judgement. "Crap! From behind?"

"EAT THIS ASSHOLE!" Shinn roared, as the Destiny swung down with its sword, whilst throwing its spare hand outstretched and charging the palm cannon, he swung the sword into the GN Field, forcing Raven to concentrate his Field on the sword, and the rapidly approaching palm cannon.

"You… son of a…!" Raven began to tense, failing to notice the Boomerang that was flying in at his side. Raven jolted when the beam of Shinn's hidden attack smashed into the right sidearm, and Carrus and Lawrence both began to fly at him from behind. "Shit! NO!"

"HRRRAAAAHHH!" Shinn snarled as the Judgement's flank buckled, and smashing his palm into the thick armour on the chest, he fired, and smashed thick fragments off the Judgement.

"All right! Let's finish him!" Carrus jeered, as the Eternal Freedom and Wing Zero holstered their long range weapons, drawing Beam Sabres that flashed red and gold.

"Damn it all to hell!" Raven snarled. "Activate Trans-Am!" The Judgement began to glow a familiar red to Carrus, and in a swirl of Black particles, disappeared from sight in an instant.

"What the hell?" Carrus stammered. "Did… he just…? Run?"

"No…" Mayu affirmed. "I get the feeling he isn't gone for good…"

"That COWARD!" Shinn snarled over the comm. "He ran away after all this boasting and levelling a whole base to the ground? What the hell does he think he's doing?"

"Hmmm…" Lawrence was indifferent unlike his comrades, scratching his chin while he contemplated Raven's actions to the last detail. "Squad, report."

"Gundam Harute." Kat sounded off. "Damaged, but nominal."

"Uhhh… Brandon here… kinda knocked about, but I'm okay…"

"What the hell do you think you're doin' orderin' me around?" Shinn snapped.

Carrus and Mayu simply watched from within the cockpit, looking at the base as the pair tried to comprehend the events that unfolded so quickly before their eyes. "Carrus…" The pair seemed oblivious to all talk that had gone on outside of their cockpit that they couldn't hear the chatter on the Freedom's comms. "CARRUS!"

"Huh?" Carrus had just snapped onto Lawrence's call, as he shook his head to get back to reality. "Uhhh… Yeah?"

"Are you all right?"

"…Yes."

"Can you get back to the fleet?"

"…Yeah…" Carrus replied self-assuredly, he was still alive, and Mayu was at his side. Even if what happened had indeed happened, he had at least gotten Shinn and Mayu out of their troubling predicament.

"Then return to base at once."

"Um… Carrus?" Mayu interrupted.

"I know…" Carrus nodded with a smile. "Commander, there are a pair of mercenaries on the ground who we should pick up, they aided us in escaping the base, and if it weren't for them-"

"They occupy a single Gundam class Mobile Suit?" Lotte interrupted.

"I'd imagine so, one of theirs got trashed." Carrus answered to Lotte.

Lotte nodded in return, turning to Lawrence. "I have already located them. The Suit's leg actuators are too damaged to use, but we can use the Harute to fly them out of the mission zone and back to HQ if given the order…"

Lawrence was quiet for a few moments as he landed next to the Blue Frame. "Carrus, you trust these two?"

"I don't have a reason not to if that's what you're asking." Carrus replied.

"Then pick them up and leave the mission area. Who knows when EA reinforcements will arrive?" Lawrence tensed his muscles, and Carrus saw his own fingers clench tightly against the joysticks, his arms still trembled while he remembered his moments facing Raven directly.

"Carrus? Sweetie?" Carrus snapped back to reality on hearing Mayu's voice in his ear. He turned slowly toward Mayu, reminding himself constantly that she was right there and no longer in the enemies clutches.

"Yeah… yeah I'm okay…"

* * *

The Eternal Freedom slowed over the Eternal, following the Wing Zero into the hangar, touching down softly onto the steel plates. Carrus sighed with relief as the hatch opened, slowly escorting Mayu out the front. Carrus watched the techs rush at the Freedom and begin to repair all the wear from his duel with Raven. The moment Carrus touched down, he noticed that Lawrence was handing a report to a Tech, whilst talking to Athrun.

"Hey… let's get you to medical…" Carrus whispered to Mayu, who nodded graciously.

Just before Carrus could walk through into the halls with Mayu, Athrun had turned toward Carrus, calling sternly outwards to him. "Carrus, a moment please."

Carrus turned back to face Athrun, Mayu striking Carrus a caring look. She wandered by herself to the halls, as Carrus headed back toward Athrun. "Uh… yeah Uncle… uh… Sir?"

"Have you heard anything from mister Yamato?" Athrun asked, keeping his firm and unyielding expression as he tried to keep his seniority in the public eye.

"Mister… er… no sir, I haven't…"

"Mister Yamato isn't in the fleet, sir?" Lawrence asked with great concern.

"He left shortly after Carrus did; he told me he was going on a routine patrol… sadly, with that same look that says to me he's going to do something irresponsible and dangerous…"

Carrus was thrown back by Athrun's sudden announcement. "What? Why?"

"So, you haven't heard anything."

"I was easily gone for four hours! How hasn't he called you?" Carrus exclaimed. "What the hell was he…? I'm going."

"I figured you'd say that." Athrun answered.

"Don't stop me."

"I… thought you hated him?" Lawrence asked hearing countless tales of Carrus' relationship with his father.

"Well… hate is such a…"

Lawrence turned to Athrun with a great look of determination as he clasped onto his helmet. "Sir, permission to leave on a rescue mission to search for Kira Yamato with Carrus."

"Uh… granted." Athrun asked, blinking.

"Carrus, get ready to launch in twenty minutes once your machine's ready to launch."

"Uh… sure?" Carrus answered.


	26. Setsuna's Assault

**Chapter Twenty Five: Setsuna's Assault**

"Go." Mayu said assuredly, as she buttoned on her uniform from behind a screen. "You've just met mister Yamato again after… how long, five… ten years?"

"Fifteen actually…" Carrus chuckled, pacing back and forth outside the screen.

"And you only just begin to reconcile when you keep saying you won't, and he goes and does a… you! You gotta save that man!"

"Wait… did you turn me into a verb?" Carrus exclaimed bursting from behind the screen catching a glimpse of Mayu buttoning her shirt and blushing a little with a smile.

Mayu shot a smug glance at Carrus, all while flashing her chest a little. "Yeah I did, what of it?"

"You're evil." Carrus answered, his gaze fixed at Mayu's flailing chest.

"And you've got to save your dad."

"Your dad's going to kill you when he gets here."

"Yeah he is…" Mayu answered in a playful tone, wrapping her arms around Carrus' waist as he wrapped his around Mayu's neck loosely.

"Lawrence Lamperouge, Carrus Yamato, to the flight deck." The voice of the deck operator chirped in over the intercom. "I repeat, Lawrence Lamperouge and Carrus Yamato to the flight deck."

"Poopy." Mayu said with a grumping tone.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" Carrus answered, his tone getting more serious.

"You don't have to say anything… get him back safe… okay?"

"Yeah, I will." Carrus answered with a smile. "Trust me."

* * *

_Deep in the Swiss Alps, as the Hellion's flew around the mountain range, they flew past a small airstrip, housing a few small hangars and an airfield. The small ZAFT operational base was a testing ground for the Hellion's, now a widespread Mobile Suit that was currently being upgraded into a new variable Mobile Suit, known to a select few as 'Project Flag'. Inside the largest hangar, was an old third generation Earth Alliance Strike Dagger, where Adrian stood in the hanger looking at the wrecked mobile suit they had found. "This is it?" Adrian asked seeing the melted armour on its body, "The EA Dagger unit you found out in this wasteland?" he continued looking to the chief technician. _

_"Yes sir. We found it a few hours ago."_

_"Is there anyone inside of it?" He asked looking along its body, when something caught his eye. "What is that over there?" Adrian asked pointing to the shoulder where the logo for Heaven's Base was barely visible on the scorched metal._

_"We're not sure right now." the technician answered seeing a couple ZAFT soldiers moving through the platform to stand by the cockpit hatch among the technicians. "From the looks of the weapon damage is from beam weaponry, but judging by the fluctuation and warping on the armour, its weapons from the Earth Alliance." The technician explained, while skimming his clipboard._

_"Earth Alliance? They're shooting down their own guys?"_

_"I'm not sure what to make of it. Chances are the pilot's an escaped prisoner or something."_

"_No kidding…" Adrian frowned, stroking the edge of his hat._

_"It's open!" one of the soldier shouted over. Adrian and the lead technician looked over and saw the four soldiers looking inside the cockpit with their rifles aimed inside. "There's a kid in here!" He called back over while he left his gun to hover next to him. A second soldier pushed himself into the cockpit, and the two soldiers removed the young teen from the Dagger, he was wearing a customized Earth Alliance flight suit, worn by the Extendeds, and his hair was messed up, obscuring his eyes. Adrian raised an eyebrow, realising the child was from the Middle East. "He's alive!"_

_"A kid?" Adrian thought out loud, staring at him as they started moving him from the hanger. Adrian felt a sharp pulse through his head which then he felt forced to watch the boy. Adrian smiled slyly, following the soldiers to the medical ward. "Hey kid. How ya doing?" Adrian asked but the soldiers ignored him as the kid remained motionless._

_"Mister Councillor, please stay back." one of the soldiers warned, "It's possible he could wake up and try something." he warned._

_"I know. He did." Adrian chuckled. The soldier stopped staring at Adrian, wondering what he was talking about. Adrian stepped back just before one of the soldiers was kicked while the other was head butted and staggered back, both drew their rifles and kept their guns aimed on the teen, who had drawn a pistol, and aimed at Adrian's neck. _

_"Where the hell did he get that gun? He was unarmed."_

_"Guess he took the one from my jacket." Adrian chuckled nervously as the boy pressed the pistol against his throat. "Listen kid, don't do anything rash. I'm your hostage, yes, but it won't get you far… It won't repair your mobile suit." Adrian said then the guards didn't see his and the boys eye colour turn gold. "I know you can hear me. Now come quietly and you'll be fine. We don't plan to hurt you." Adrian said through his brainwaves to the young boy. The boy lowered the gun and dropped it, the guard started to run over to grab him but Adrian raised his hand. "Stay back. It's fine. He isn't a threat to us." Adrian said lowering his right hand to ruffle the boy's hair._

_"Please don't..." the boy muttered._

_"Oh. My apologies." Adrian said taking his hand back. "Now what is your name?" Adrian asked but the boy looked away, "It would be rude to call you boy wouldn't it?" Adrian asked but the boy still ignored him. "I understand... We'll get you to the PLANTs."_

_"I have information about the EA's extended project." The boy said, catching Adrian's interest further. "I was one."_

_"But you're something more... I can tell." Adrian grinned putting his hand on the middle-eastern boy's shoulder and walked with him down the halls with the guard escorting the pair. "Right, boy?"_

* * *

Kira pulled back as the Freedom pulled away from the ground, and the 00 Qan [T] that kneeled below him. All he could do was look down on Setsuna's machine, remembering his own reasons for fighting, as painful as it was for him to tug at the machine that has had his soul for so many years. He could understand Setsuna's own struggles, but he turned away nonetheless.

_**(M.N: Saikisen, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

Setsuna's sentiments were different. The moment he got his hands around his controls, he slammed down, and launched the 00 to hurl towards Kira's machine with a loud roar from Setsuna. Kira jerked his head around with a shock, raising a Beam Sabre to deflect Setsuna's GN Sword, causing a shower of sparks to cover the Strike Freedom's armour, the PS armour splashing with ripples as the sparks fizzled away.

Kira was stunned at the sudden attack, his fingers tightening around his throttle and trigger. "Setsuna? You'll continue this struggle?"

"What else would you want from me?" Setsuna roared. "I fight to reform the twistedness that you, yourself created!"

"Reform the twistedness?" Kira asked with a stagger. "Is that all you can see in this world? How do you see all this as one man's fault when you yourself acknowledged this is because a select few-?"

"You were the one who spearheaded the reformation of the world before! And yet this world is just as twisted as it was in the past!" Setsuna snarled.

"That's how you see it?" Kira muttered under his breath as a bead of sweat dropped off his chin. "Well then… you will understand if I can't allow you to kill or capture me here?"

"Damn you, Kira Yamato!" Setsuna snapped. "I keep telling you that Feldt-"

"I will not allow any of you to use my family as bargaining chips!" The Strike Freedom dived, sliding the parrying Beam down the blade of the 00 Qan [T], forcing Setsuna to double back, just as the lower end of the hilt was sliced off. As Setsuna retreated, he raised his sword to strike again, his eyes widening when he saw Kira had already drawn a Beam Rifle with his free arm, and fired a bolt right at the head of the 00 Qan [T]. Setsuna jerked to the side, but the beam still cut through the left eye of the 00 Qan [T], and the whole head exploded, jolting the entire Mobile Suit.

"Damn it!" Setsuna began to tremble a little, even in a supposedly more powerful machine; he was being decimated right from the start. He thought quickly, switching over his camera circuits to get his monitors working as quickly as he could, barely catching a glimpse of Kira firing rounds at his limbs, a tactic he knew was one Kira favoured, knowing Kira's weakness at killing other human beings, raising his shield in defence, his GN drives producing a thin field that propelled the beams away into the ocean and island below. "Still as weak as ever! You claim to fight for peace when you can't even dispose of those who oppose you?"

"What good would killing someone else do?" Kira answered, raising his Railguns, and firing them into Setsuna's raised shield, knocking the 00 Qan [T] to the ocean surface. "Killing you would just sadden those who you are tied to!"

"Spoken like a true martyr!" Setsuna sprang up, firing his GN rifle in retaliation, forcing Kira to evade, as his Sword bits jettisoned and began to tail Kira. Kira was quick, rolling past, blocking with his Beam Sabre, and firing at two Sword bits, detonating both, all while evading Setsuna's highly accurate shots. Rolling into position, Kira's screen lit up, as he fired his Impulse Cannon at Setsuna. Setsuna grit his teeth, sliding past the shot with inches to spare, feeling the heat of the shot from inside the cockpit. Suddenly, his alarm sounded, and Setsuna realised his concentration had split for a moment, and he barely raised his shield in time to catch Kira's falling Beam Sabre on his torso.

"No Martyr would want to die so easily… I would rather live for the family I have left…"

"What are you?" Setsuna seethed through his grit teeth. "What the hell makes you think you're a god!"

"I'm just a man!"

"What?"

Setsuna was stunned, looking into Kira's now blank eyes, that were so fixated on looking into Setsuna's, showing a deep anger that could not be quenched. "You honestly believe I would become a god? I wouldn't want the satisfaction of people calling my name in praise, I've done terrible things in my life, I wouldn't deserve such kindness…"

"What… what kind of a man… are you?" Setsuna looked at Kira with confusion and anxiety; there was little he could say as he tried to decipher the inner workings of Kira's mind. Tempted, his eyes began to flash a sharp golden glow as his Quantum Brainwaves began to touch on Kira's mind, hoping to understand his opponent.

"Trying to get into my mind, Setsuna?" Kira answered calmly. "I can't allow that, not while you are completely oblivious to what traumatizes the world!"

"The… world?" Setsuna was caught off guard for a moment, and Kira kicked the 00 Qan [T] to the ground before he realised he had frozen in battle, the Strike Freedom's Beam Sabre inches away from his cockpit. "Bastard… why such a trick?"

"I told you, I can't die here."

"And I can't lose here… not to you!" Setsuna's face stiffened, and his arm flicked over his keypad, his fingers pressing several keys, and an optical scanner flashed over his eyes as he uttered one word. "Trans-Am." Setsuna watched his screen flash a deep purple, and the word 'Trans-Am' took up the centre of the screen. The 00 Qan [T] began to glow a deep red as the GN Drives started whirling into overdrive.

"They've perfected it?" Kira snapped in shock. The 00 Qan [T] leaped from the ground, throwing the Strike Freedom into the air, as Setsuna swung the sharp end of his shield into the stomach of the Strike Freedom, hurling his Mobile Suit into the ocean. Before Kira slammed into the ocean, he spotted Setsuna aim his Beam Rifle faster than he could see, and start to fire several shots. Gritting his teeth, Kira drew both Beam Sabres, not activating them, he activated a Beam Shield and blocked the incoming shots, his boosters keeping him off the ocean surface, but they strained as each of Setsuna's shots cracked against his shield. "Damn it! It's more potent than I thought!"

Setsuna launched at Kira, flying at three times his normal speed, speeding towards Kira at a tremendous rate, swinging his GN Sword at an amazing rate, almost landing a blow on Kira, when Kira activated both Beam Sabres, crossing the Beams in a cross and catching the GN Sword moments before cleaving the Strike Freedom in the middle. "Give it up Kira Yamato! I refuse to lose with the 00 Qan [T] as my weapon!"

"Not… not yet…" Kira grimaced, as Setsuna's blade drew closer and closer to the Strike Freedom.

"Why don't you surrender?" Setsuna roared. Kira never responded. Setsuna grew more frustrated at Kira's refusal. Eventually, he could no longer take it. "Fine then! If you will not listen, then I'll have to kill you so Feldt may live!"

"What?" Kira spoke too late, Setsuna kicked the Strike Freedom away, and began to thrust with the GN Sword. Time seemed to slow down for Kira, who was watching the blade draw closer to the torso of the Strike Freedom with every slow breath.

_**(M.N: Kouhoushien, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

Suddenly, two bright green beams pierced the sword arm of the 00 Qan [T], and Setsuna cried in horror as the arm exploded in front of him. Before he could curse, Dragoons darted around him, and two pushed him into a small island that was barely large enough to hold Setsuna's Mobile Suit, and the Eternal Freedom barrelled down, both Beam Sabres drawn, right on top of Setsuna.

"Get AWAY FROM HIM!" Carrus roared over the mic. Setsuna looked in shock, barely rolling the 00 Qan [T] out of the way in time, slamming into the shallows of the ocean.

"Carrus?" Setsuna had no time, flying out of the way of three Dragoons that had begun to bombard him with beams, and Carrus had already twisted his right hand Railgun to fire at the 00 Qan [T]. Suddenly, another alert chimed, catching Setsuna's gaze, and an immense golden beam flashed toward him. Setsuna grimaced, barely flying out of the way, when he saw an unfamiliar sight to him, another Gundam type Mobile Suit.

The Wing Zero stood by on the Island that Kira and Setsuna once stood on, and Lawrence cursed slightly seeing he had missed his shot. "Damn! Carrus, trap him again! We'll lock him into mid-range combat and wear that system of his out! How long do you think we have?"

"At most? Five minutes!" Carrus answered, as he took off toward Setsuna, drawing a Beam Rifle to replace a Beam Sabre, aiming his rifle and preparing his Dragoons for another pass.

"Easy enough! See if we can take him down!" Lawrence affirmed, as Wing Zero attached both of its Buster Rifles together and readied its Beam Shield, taking off towards Setsuna.

"Tch… A new machine?" Setsuna cursed as Wing Zero flew at him, and barely avoiding a shot from a Dragoon. "No… I need to leave… Damn!" Setsuna slammed his fist against the console, and his Sword Bits detached, forming a ring in front of the 00 Qan [T], and before Carrus could fire, Setsuna flew into the ring and disappeared in a flash.

"What… the hell? He just… disappeared?" Carrus stammered in shock, not even realising his Dragoons were still withdrawn.

Lawrence was every bit as surprised as Carrus. "It's the same thing that Raven did… what is it?"

Kira simply stood by, lying in the Strike Freedom, breathing a deep sigh of relief, silently uttering a prayer of gratitude to himself, glad of his own fortune.

* * *

_**(M.N: The Universe, Hiroyuki Sawano)**_

Carrus leaped down to the beach from the cockpit of his knelt Eternal Freedom, and began slowly walking towards his father, who stood by, looking at the sunset in the west. The air felt heavy between Kira and Carrus, the pair of them felt it, the air was ripe with battle and destruction, and a few GN Particles were scattered throughout the immediate area, the last sign of Setsuna's presence in the area. Carrus stopped several metres behind Kira, staring at him with a look of curiosity and frustration. Carrus remembered just little he truly knew about his father just by looking at him stare out into the ocean as though he were contemplating the universe's existence or some other complex topic.

"I can't say I saw these events happening…" Kira said with a very melancholy tone. "I really thought Setsuna could be convinced to see things from our perspective…"

"He's… fallen for sis… hasn't he?" Carrus sighed with a slight air of depression.

Kira turned suddenly, almost shocked to hear the news. "What?"

"I kinda saw it when I last saw him… we were talking with Feldt and he seemed very familiar and… strangely relaxed for himself." Carrus seemed frustrated as he looked to his side, not so much by his father, and Kira sensed that, but he knew that Carrus' feelings were more directed at Setsuna. "I don't profess to know the guy… but the way he looks at Feldt… it reminds me of how I look at Mayu… a lot…"

"You've really grown into a fine young man to deduce that." Carrus looked shockingly at his father, who now wore the same smile he usually had. "Come now… you didn't think I wouldn't compliment you, did you?"

"I'm just… surprised." Carrus answered, blinking constantly in disbelief. "I didn't think you would be so forward. Everyone described you to be so separate… so… alone from everyone else…"

"Hmmm… Is that right?" Kira almost seemed to chuckle on hearing this. "While I think about it, is Mayu… and are you okay?"

Carrus' eyes spread even further apart as his amazement grew, not noticing that Lawrence was watching from a distance, smiling at how quickly Carrus was changing with Kira. "I… yeah… we're… okay… but Panama was destroyed… by a psychotic madman named Raven who levelled the base… And Casval seems to think I'm some kind of… I dunno… SEED Innovator…"

"So that's what he wanted to know…" Kira whispered, the smile fading from his face.

_**(M.N: Zero Gravity, Hiroyuki Sawano)**_

"Tell me Kira!" Carrus beseeched. "Is what he said true? Are you really the one behind Extendeds… and Innovators?"

Kira fell silent for a moment, but did not alter his gaze away from Carrus. The silence lingered, until Kira slowly began to answer. "I did it initially to help those that were created during the Blue Cosmos and Logos Regime…"

"What?"

"I wanted to help those that knew nothing but pain, suffering and battle. To try and free them from the curse that was forced on them by those who wanted nothing but their own way. Casval was a young man back then… and kept his true name hidden from me then, so I had no way of knowing for sure that he was Al Da Flaga's illegitimate son. We worked together for years, even though I would usually take off every now and then to help your mother-"

"In the rebuilding of the PLANTS?" Carrus asked with a realising demeanour, he could somehow sense there was nothing but truth coming from his father's lips.

"Yes. We simply theorised the idea of the Newtype then, seeing as how Mu… Commander La Flaga had more… inherent abilities than many Naturals, and we ended up discovering something fantastic, proof that Humanity could in fact evolve."

"You did all this… why?"

"For you and Feldt."

"Come off it!" Carrus snapped with an irritated tone. "No great cause has a reason THAT simple…"

"Who's to say it can't?" Kira chuckled, taking Carrus by surprise. "After all, I was wanting to build a world in which the two of you could find your place without the need for conflict."

"Without… conflict?"

* * *

_**(M.N: Windless, Kenji Kawai)**_

Setsuna snarled as he slammed his fists against his console. He felt humiliated and furious, all he could think about was not only Kira's refusal to help his own daughter, but now Carrus' sudden change of heart. The two of them were putting Feldt in danger. If they did not submit, her life would be threatened, if they continued their path against ZAFT, the world would never change.

Setsuna couldn't accept these facts.

"This ends now. I have no choice… Kira Yamato… Carrus… I will destroy you… to cut the twistedness… with my Gundam…" Setsuna whispered, his eyes welling with hatred as he looked down on the Earth from space, a small ZAFT force gathering behind him.

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

HA! Two epic chapters! How awesome am I? Next chapters going to be a doozy, a nice quiet scene that leads to an epic battle in a chapter or two, depending on (filler) stuff I can fit into one chapter. Hoping to get the quiet out of one chapter though and back into the action soon. That will be easily two or three chapters, easy.

Any way, I digress. I've said too much. Peace out y'all!

~Vaxercon


	27. Return To Onogoro

**Chapter Twenty Six: Return to Onogoro**

As the Eternal slowly docked into port at the Morgenroete docks at Onogoro, Lacus stood out on the deck, looking in amazement at the sight that the cruisers at the spaceport were being filled with so many people. Even from that great distance, she could hear the cherry voices of the citizens of Orb, as they looked forward to their new journey, even if the entire nation was in the middle of evacuation. Lacus turned her head in curiosity when she heard footsteps approach her, giving a smile when she realised it was Cagalli walking across in her purple suit with a red sash around her neck and waist, the sign of her status as Chief Representative of Orb.

"I never thought everyone would be so glad to leave their homes so suddenly." Cagalli smiled in return to seeing Lacus' cherry face.

"Maybe it's because they're glad we're evacuating before the fighting escalates to the point where Orb is caught up again?" Lacus responded kindly.

Cagalli leaned against the rail of the deck, installed several years ago during the adaptation to turn the Eternal into an atmosphere capable ship. "I suppose you're right. By the way, Commander Lamperouge called in, they'll be flying in any moment now."

"That's good to hear!" Lacus could barely begin another sentence when a loud roar caught her and Cagalli's attention, seeing Wing Zero, followed by both Freedom Gundams roar past the Eternal, the Eternal Freedom doing a quick Barrel Roll as it flew at a low altitude, giving Lacus a great shock seeing Carrus behave so rebelliously. "Oh my! I thought that sort of thing was against the rules?"

"It is…" Cagalli answered with a churning face, trying not to yell at her nephew. "He's going to get SHREDDED by Athrun later…"

"Well, I guess everyone in our family can't be a perfect angel, huh?" Lacus chuckled, as Carrus began to land inside the hangar of the Eternal.

"I swear though… Kira's too soft on the kid…" Cagalli groaned.

* * *

"Are you SURE I won't get in trouble for that one?" Carrus whined over the speakers, feeling he was out of line doing such a flyover.

Kira however was still laughing about how he convinced Carrus to do it and couldn't activate his microphone until he stopped laughing. "I promise! You won't get in trouble!"

"You're still giggling, old man!" Carrus snapped angrily.

"Old man?" Kira blinked, all humour in his voice completely fading at such an alien comment.

"CARRUS YAMATO!" A loud voice roared over Carrus' comm, nearly deafening him. Opening the channel, he saw an irritated Athrun on the other end, his arms folded and tapping against his forearm. "What the hell were you doing pulling acrobatics of that scale within the shipyard?"

Carrus was speechless for a moment, wearing a very nervous smile as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. "Ah… see I… well… that is to say…"

"Sorry Athrun!" Kira chimed in with a chuckle. "I told him to do that!"

Athrun was speechless, his mouth open in shock at Kira's sudden announcement. Closing the comm with Carrus suddenly, Carrus blinked at his blank screen. Opening the hatch, he could hear loud yelling going on in the Strike Freedom, all belonging to the voice of Athrun. Carrus was stunned, he never pictured Athrun as the type to get so furious at Kira. "Why the heck did I listen to him?" Carrus openly answered as he lowered himself down to the deck, constantly looking up at the Strike Freedom's cockpit.

"CARRUS!" Carrus barely had time to turn when he was knocked to the ground by Mayu who had leaped on top of him in a thick embrace, whacking his head against the leg of the Eternal Freedom.

"OW! Hey!"

"Oops!" Mayu giggled innocently as Carrus rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry! I really didn't think I'd knock you down like that!"

"With hips like yours? How couldn't I?" Carrus taunted frustratingly, making the red head agitated.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Mayu protested, jamming her face into Carrus', failing to notice an engineer who was walking past and had caught wind of the argument, watching Carrus and Mayu yell with slight delight.

"That being a prisoner has made you fat! That's what!"

"Say that again! Maybe you should build some abs like your dad, then you could catch me easier!"

"You threw yourself at me from behind! How was I supposed to know you were coming?"

"I called out to you! What more do you want? Maybe an armed guard?"

"Oh wow…" Carrus and Mayu looked up to the cockpit of the Eternal Freedom to see Kira chuckling at the pair on their knees surrounded by dozens of intrigued engineers. "And I thought Athrun could yell…"

Carrus and Mayu nervously looked at the entourage that had encircled them, as their faces flushed with embarrassment. Mayu leaped to her feet, giving a slight cough to compose herself. "Ahem. Well, don't mess up again."

Carrus followed suit, facing away from Mayu. "Yeah. Sure."

Kira gave a small chuckle seeing their tones change rapidly. "Young love, huh?"

* * *

"Whaddaya mean I'm restricted to this area?" Shinn's eye was caught at the sudden yell of Kayos, who was yelling at an Orb guard who had escorted Kayos and Twi to a small outdoor area devoid of activity in Morgenroete. "What, you miss the memo from Carrus Yamato?"

"Well sir, Carrus Yamato has filed a report about the pair of you." The guard responded calmly, despite Kayos being in his face. "However, Ensign Yamato's report isn't classified as enough of a priority right now given the current situation in Orb."

"Like hell it isn't enough of a priority! We've still got info on a possible threat!"

"Yeah!" Twi added. "We've got info on a delicious treat!"

"A… wait, what?" The guard looked at Twi, absolutely baffled at Twi's strange announcement.

"What's going on here?"

The three debaters looked to the new voice, seeing Shinn wander over towards them with his hands in his pockets. "Oh, mister Asuka! I apologize!" The guard answered, snapping to attention and presenting his weapon in a salute. "I was just following orders from-"

"I'll escort them wherever they go. So tell Athrun I'm watchin' 'em." Shinn announced, stopping next to Kayos.

"Uh… yes sir." The guard clicked his heels together and turned to walk away.

"Whoa… guess we found someone with some rank…" Kayos chuckled. "Lemme guess, Shinn Asuka, huh?"

"Took you a while to figure that out." Shinn answered with a glazed look in his eyes.

"Who?" Twi asked with a blank frown.

"You idiot!" Kayos snapped. "He's ZAFT's legendary Ace from the second Bloody Valentine War! One of the figurehead's of the Three Ship Alliance!"

"…Bwah?"

"Moron…" Kayos grumbled while slapping his face with the palm of his hand.

Shinn remained just as serious as always, simply darting his eyes between the two strange individuals. "So, you two got info on that guy we fought?"

"Yeah." Kayos answered straight forwardly. "We can give you details on who he is and what he is specifically. Not that it matters, you took him out so easily, didn't you?"

"I snuck up on him while he was distracted by four other Mobile Suits after he took out a whole base." Shinn grumbled, his words were dripping with sarcasm. "Oh yeah. I'm sure I did everything I could to stop him before he ran away with some kind of advanced technology because he couldn't use some of those weapons that he was clearly holding back for some reason I didn't know, like maybe he was... oh I don't know, outta power?"

"Not exactly subtle… are you?" Kayos frowned.

"Deal with it. It's what I do." Shinn smirked.

"You really think it's as simple as running out of power?"

"Seems that way. Panama was levelled, almost as if some high energy beam spiralled through the base, question is, why didn't he use it again?"

"He's toying with us!" Twi gasped.

"Wait, you said something smart?" Kayos responded in shock.

"He's gonna turn us into Christmas presents!"

"…Never mind…"

* * *

"Restricting the Zero System seemed to work just fine… although it restricted the Wing Zero's potential by a considerable amount…" Lawrence slowly typed away at the Zero System's separate operating system, built into the Wing Zero's mainframe. He may have a genius intellect for a Natural born, but typing slowly helped him concentrate on a system that was so complex for even the most talented Mobile Suit engineers. "How am I supposed to make this system easier to manage? I've used the suit in combat three times in twenty four hours now… and I've got a feeling I'm going to have to use it much more in the future…"

"No kidding." Lawrence looked up to see Brandon staring at him from just outside the hatch. "Are you sure about restricting the Wing Zero so much?"

"You saw how handy the Buster Rifle on its own was against that red Mobile Suit we fought. And you probably should figure out the Unicorn as soon as possible, the Astray's just can't cut it anymore. They lasted against basic GN drive Mobile Suits, but…"

"You've got a point…" Brandon sighed.

"By the way, did you hear how the evacuation's going?"

"Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask you about that, why is Chief Representative Autha taking such a great action?"

"She's been planning this a while now, probably since Chairman Viper forged that treaty with Orb." Lawrence explained. "I mostly heard rumours for a while, but Admiral Zala gave me a brief about it a month ago. If we can get the civilians to the moon, we can start heading into deeper space easier than on Earth, and given that we're in a war, it'll be much easier to get the civilians off world now than after the war."

"I guess everyone just wants out of these wars…"

"Three times Orb has been attacked since it's been founded, when this is supposed to be a land of peace. Could you really blame them?"

"Yeah… but do you think we can protect all of them? We've got seventeen carriers, and all of our Mobile Suits are several generations below what the Earth Alliance and ZAFT use."

"Well… excluding the Unicorn, Wing Zero…"

"And Harute, I know, but don't forget, even Carrus has what's essentially a mock copy of the Strike Freedom with a few new parts."

"I suppose…"

* * *

"Project Lambda?" Athrun blinked a few times, as he walked down the hall with Kira and Lacus. "Kira, are you sure we should go there?"

"It's nearing completion." Kira answered with a silent demeanour, trying to keep his voice down so prying ears wouldn't hear him. "Mister Newman just returned from Jupiter. We've now got a way to fight back, and you saw the Zeta's combat data."

"I'll admit the fact it could potentially keep up with Harute is a completely new matter… but how many suits could you possibly have ready?"

"Enough to get Orb into deep space."

"Athrun, you know we don't want this." Lacus chimed in. "But Adrian pushed too quickly, the GN drives aren't ready, and on top of that, we suspect he's using Veda."

"Are you sure about that, Lacus?"

"His attacks are too direct, he even foresaw we were going to side with Orb, how else do you explain Setsuna F Seiei's appearance here? He would have been in a perfect position to attack the Three Ship Alliance if Kira wasn't waiting for him."

"I see." Athrun began to scratch at his chin, opening the door to his office. "And what do you gather from Casval, Kira? You know more about him than any of us."

Kira lowered his gaze, wandering towards Lacus and holding her hand lightly. "His research and experiments have progressed incredibly, he's even theorised that once the SEED develops in an individual, it's hereditary."

"Meaning, you think Feldt and Mayu have it?"

"Possibly, but we need to wait and see. Personally, I hope that's wrong. It's bad enough Carrus bears the same burden as Lacus and I."

"Hmmm…" Athrun pulled out his chair and sat down, pondering the best course of action. "I'd say we need to leave as soon as possible either way. Hopefully this time tomorrow, we'll be in space."

"I hope so too, Athrun…" Lacus answered with a sad look, noticing Kira had begun to look away, as if something had caught his attention. "Uhm… Kira?"

"Hm?" Kira said, his distraction snapped.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'll be going out for a walk for a little while…" Kira turned and walked out of the office without a glance. As he left, Athrun and Lacus shared a worrying gaze. Kira wandered down the hall, feeling a sense of recognition somewhere nearby. _"What is that? Who's nearby?"_

* * *

"And that about covers it." Shinn finished, walking Kayos and Twi into the hangar of the Eternal.

"Think we can get in as members of the Archangel crew?" Kayos asked.

"Should be able to considering-" Shinn stopped when he saw Mayu snuggling up to Carrus. Without thought, he began to wander to the pair. "… 'Scuse me."

"Uh… sure?"

"So, what should we do for our last night in Orb?" Mayu whispered playfully.

Carrus began to chuckle a little at the idea. "I'm thinking of heading back to my room eventually… if you wanna join me?"

"Ooohh… enticing."

"I'll bet it is." Shinn sniggered, catching Mayu and Carrus' attention, the pair of them freezing at the sight of his twitching eyebrow. "So tell me, how the hell do the two of you think that I wouldn't object to that?"

Mayu leaped up to her feet in a panic seeing Shinn crack his knuckles. "Daddy! It's cool! We're sort of-"

"Sort of what? You never told me anything like that before!"

"Say what?" Carrus sighed with a sombre tone. "You never even told him about us?"

"Ohhhhohohoho! Even if she had told me I'd be damned before my girl dates the Yamato brat!" Shinn growled.

"What? No fair!"

"Oh man! Looks like you're gon get yo bitch ass smacked!" Twi giggled, sliding over quietly next to Carrus.

"HEY! SHUT UP!" Carrus yelped at Twi who couldn't stop giggling.

As Shinn kept ranting to Mayu, the group had failed to notice that Lacus had walked into the hangar, and her eye had gone straight to Shinn who was yelling so loudly he had become a distraction to everyone around them. With a smile she wandered over, as her little pink Haro bounced ahead of her. "Carrus! You fine?"

Carrus looked at the little pink sphere with intrigue as Haro bounced into his lap. "Hm? Haro?"

"Oh my!" Everyone suddenly went quiet, looking at Lacus who had wandered over to the commotion. "Whatever is all this for?"

"Hey, Lacus!" Shinn grumbled. "How long did you know that your kid and mine were at this business?"

"I… don't know what you mean?"

"You need me to spell it out?" Shinn muttered, his fist clenched.

"Oh, I'm sure there's no trouble!" Lacus answered with her same cheerful smile.

"No trouble? Are you crazy?"

Lacus' personality seemed to suddenly change, while still wearing her same cheery smile, she spoke in the same happy tone, but something seemed off to everyone who heard her, like a dark aura suddenly closed around her. "There is no trouble with my young man, is there, Shinn?"

The sudden change in atmosphere seemed to freak Shinn, Carrus, Mayu and Kayos out, who had just swung over to grab Twi, but was caught in the crossfire. Shinn seemed to stammer, not able to say a single word at all to Lacus' smiling face. "Uh… uh… uh… no?"

"Oh good! I'm so glad!"

"Yay! You too!" Haro chirped in, breaking the tension, and bouncing back to Lacus who had begun to wander away.

"Oh, and Carrus?"

"Ye… yes?" Carrus stammered.

"You are going to spend some time with your father and I tonight, aren't you?"

"S… sure."

"Oh, how lovely! I'll see you tonight!" Lacus exclaimed happily as she and Haro walked away.

"Who… was that scary lady?" Kayos said, unbelieving in Lacus' appearance.

"My mom…" Carrus replied, completely limp.

"Does this mean… we don't get to see each other tonight?" Mayu muttered, her shoulders drooping.

"HEY! CARRUS!" A voice called out, breaking the gloom in the group, grabbing everyone's attention, when Judau suddenly grabbed Carrus in a headlock.

"Hey! What gives?" Carrus yelled in shock.

"What the hell man? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"It's only been eighteen hours you moron!"

Judau was busy wrestling with Carrus, when his eyes caught a glimpse of Mayu just staring at Carrus with a shocked look on her face. "Whoa! Is that your girlfriend?"

"Uh… yeah?"

"Holy! I know you said she was up there! But DAMN! She's got more looks than an army of swimsuit models!"

Mayu was stunned, her face going bright red at Judau's sentiments. "H-huh?"

Judau's sudden appearance made Shinn antsy, as he began to crack his neck loudly. "I'm sorry, and now some OTHER punk is hitting on my little girl?"

"Nuh… no?" Judau replied nervously. "Look I got something to do anyway mister Asuka."

Shinn stopped for a moment, looking blankly at Judau. "Hm?"

"Hey Carrus, wanna go for a quick flight?" Judau asked as he let Carrus loose from his grip.

Carrus was baffled, blinking repeatedly. "Uh… sure?"


	28. The Next Phase

**Chapter Twenty Seven: The Next Phase**

"Who WAS that guy?" Mayu angrily snapped. "Seriously, it isn't bad enough he goes and flirts with me, but he goes and takes Carrus away from me? What is he, gay or something?"

Kayos looked at Mayu with a glazed gaze, unbelieving in what she was saying. "You know, your paranoia is sweet and all, but you think too much."

"OH and don't get me started on Mrs Yamato! Seriously! Comes off as being nicest person on Earth and beyond, and next thing you know, she's the devil's wife? Come ON!"

"I tawt she was pretty!" Twi chuckled.

"NOT helping, Twi…" Kayos sighed.

Shinn on the other hand was on the end of the hangar, watching the open air while leaning against the leg of the Destiny, looking out toward the direction that Judau and Carrus had flown towards. His thoughts drifted toward what reason Judau had to suddenly take off with Carrus. _"It's odd really, why would the kid possibly just take off so suddenly. Is it some kind of Newtype thing? Wait… that wouldn't be so crazy! I've been getting this nagging sense as though-"_

"Shinn?" Shinn's thoughts were halted, and when he snapped his eyes around, he saw Kira looking at him with the determined look he had whenever something big was happening.

Shinn stared at Kira for a moment, when he stood on his feet, looking directly at him. "What happened?"

"You've been getting that feeling too, huh?"

"Yeah, what do you think it is?"

"I wish I knew exactly…" Kira said, taking a few paces past Shinn to look out the hatch of the Eternal, watching the afternoon sky. "But, I suspect that we're not going to be able to just fly out of Orb so easily."

"You think… ZAFT is waiting for us? The Earth Alliance is pretty busy as is right now…"

"I don't know… all I know is that someone wants us down for the count soon."

* * *

Nearly thirty ships now orbited Earth, all holding position at an altitude over Orb itself. Setsuna looked out from above the hangar bay into the view screen, noticing the vast fleet that now orbited earth. _"Is all this really necessary? Such a vast fleet to crush such a small nation?"_

"Thoughts like those will get you killed."

Setsuna gasped, spinning around to see a seemingly young man in a purple ZAFT uniform, his eyes and hair that reached his shoulders were both a deep purple, his skin was pale and he wore a small set of spectacles on his nose. "Tieria Erde? What are you doing here, you're supposed to be at Jupiter."

"I was testing the Quantum jump packs and had to make sure you weren't being rash. By the way, they work." Tieria responded bluntly, he always was to the point. "I heard you got 00 damaged."

Setsuna grunted with disapproval as the GN Drives on 00 Qan [T] were tested, the Mobile Suit now fully repaired after a short time. "Why the curiosity? It was… Kira Yamato."

"I see." Tieria answered, realising the problem. "Just don't forget, he is seen as an enemy, we can't hold back just because you're trying to make amends with his daughter."

"I know."

"You don't seem to." Setsuna's eyes tightened at Tieria's condescending voice. "You have to remember what it is we must do, not what you want to do."

Setsuna suddenly snapped at Tieria, spinning away from him. "Shut up! I know that!" His eyes shook in anger as he wrestled with his own feelings.

"…You really need to control your anger, Setsuna. You're going to get yourself killed." Tieria responded, completely unaffected by Setsuna's outburst.

"Possibly sooner than we think…"

"What do you mean?"

"I… revealed the extent of 00's Trans-Am…"

Tieria's eyes grew wild, and he grabbed Setsuna's shirt, pulling him around to face him "You revealed the Quantize process?" Setsuna didn't answer, this was enough for Tieria to confirm his suspicions. Throwing his arm off Setsuna, he looked away in anger. "That was stupid. Especially for someone of your calibre."

"I'm sorry. I was frustrated."

"On top of that, he even managed to stop you when you had gone all out?"

"It was his son who intercepted me."

Tieria was speechless, he couldn't think up anything to say to Setsuna, proving just how shocked he was with the news. "Someone of your position should not be given to a human being."

"Are you saying you should be in my role?" Setsuna snarled. "You said my role was something only I could do!"

Tieria's face gave a snarky smile in response. "I was under the impression an Innovator could keep his cool, but it's clear on an Innovade such as myself should change the world.

"You would leave this world in the hands of Adrian Viper?"

Tieria's eyes widened at the realisation of what Setsuna uttered in anger, clasping his mouth with his hand. "We can't afford words like that to be uttered Setsuna." Setsuna was stunned, realising what he had said. "It's words like that that put Feldt Yamato in the compromising position that she's in now." Removing his hand, he began to walk toward the door and opened it up. "If that is how you are, I'll participate in the attack as well."

"No, you don't need to."

"Need I remind you, Kira Yamato isn't a part of the plan? I will dispatch him if I have to, you focus on keeping Orb's citizens alive."

"Who's not being careful with his words, now?" Setsuna grumbled, gazing at Tieria.

"You clearly need to be told what to do. Don't. Mess. This. Up." Tieria uttered, leaving the room, and Setsuna to his own thoughts. Wandering up the hall, Tieria paused in surprise, seeing Adrian Viper stride down the halls, accompanied by the Newtype pilot, Tyler Komuro, and his personal guard. "Chairman Viper. What a surprise."

"Ah, Tieria!" Adrian greeted with open arms. "How good to see you again! I have to say, it feels like an eternity since I saw you last, weren't you at Jupiter?"

"I was… testing the Quantum packs… there seems to be few problems, but all of them are minor." Tieria answered hesitatingly, confused at the Chairman's appearance. "Excuse me, but what are you doing here?"

"Just wanting one of our prodigies' to have some frontline action. After all, the Epyon Gundam is a machine that needs some testing after that fellow stole a Kshatriya and levelled Januarius with Tyler unable to stop him."

"To my dishonour, sir." Tyler added with seething words.

"Oh, come now. Clearly his skills were unpredictable. And now, I hear that Panama was levelled by some new machine that came out of that very base! It really isn't ideal, is it Tieria?"

"No… it… isn't." Tieria answered slowly, and beginning to walk past Adrian. "If you'll excuse me, I should check Raphael is ready for the attack."

Adrian turned his head, his eye gleaming as it gazed at Tieria "Oh? You want to attack Orb too? Shouldn't you return to Jupiter?"

Tieria stopped to speak once more, turning his head toward Adrian. "The Innovades at the research base can handle the tasks given to them without me."

"Hm… I suppose you're right. I just hope your machine's as good in atmosphere as it is in space though."

"Do not worry. Raphael is the ultimate weapon, I will eliminate ZAFT's enemies."

"Oh, I do hope so Tieria." Adrian sneered. "I wouldn't want you to die out there. We ARE friends after all, right?"

Tieria simply stood by, not saying a word, when he just walked to the hangar. "I have maintenance to do, sir."

"Yes, of course…" Adrian smiled, giving a nod of his hat.

* * *

"HEY! Judau! What's the deal? Why we flying out this far?" Carrus griped, annoyed that he was torn away from Mayu back at Onogoro. The Eternal Freedom was crouched on top of the Zeta, which was speeding at an incredible pace, leaving a thin trail of red GN particles.

"Will you relax? This is important!"

"More important than alone time with Mayu?" Carrus grumbled.

"You mean you tapped that? Dude! Mobile Suit high five!" Judau laughed, as the Zeta's right arm extended from under the Wave Rider, and raised its palm toward the Eternal Freedom.

"Think I'll pass."

"Oh, come on!"

"Will you shut up and tell me what's up?" Carrus snapped, making Judau wide eyed.

"Fine, fine… look out in front of us."

"Yeah, we're approaching the abandoned Carpentaria base. The Earth Alliance forced ZAFT out a few weeks ago, didn't they?"

"Well, ZAFT just took it back. In great numbers."

"What?" Carrus exclaimed. "In great…! How did they get the GN Drives to do it?"

"They didn't, it was a small battalion of old school Hellions and Geara Dogas that did it, but MORE importantly, they've been building something there, a Mobile Suit from twenty odd years ago. You know your Mobile Suit history?"

"A fair amount."

"Remember a type known as the Ash?"

"That was an amphibious Mobile Suit, wasn't it?" Carrus answered almost instantly. "Wait, are they building Ashes?"

"An elite special forces team are taking care of it, yeah." Judau replied with a serious glow in his eyes. "They got some old veterans from twenty years ago, a crap load of them I might add who were some of Chairman Durandal's finest, to build those things using parts from the Hellions and Geara Dogas, so they'll have modern weaponry added. I think they're going to use those to launch an attack on Orb!"

"Crap, how long have we got?"

"I reckon they're about ready to ship out."

Carrus looked at Judau with annoyance "And… we didn't get help from the others BECAUSE?"

"Are you serious? We'll come back as heroes!" Judau cheered. "Think about it! Judau Ashta and Carrus Yamato discovered a plot to launch an all-out assault against our retreating fleet, and stopped it before they could do any real damage!"

"Sounds like we'll get in trouble rather than get treated as heroes…"

"Enough talk! We're coming up on the target now!" Judau grinned.

"Judau! We can't take them ALL!" Carrus yelped.

"Sure we can! They won't expect this kind of attack from two suits!"

_**(M.N: Zero Jager, Otani Kou)**_

"That's cause they'll- WHOA!" Carrus pulled back, as they zoomed over the base at a low altitude, and Judau fired his Beam Cannon several times, destroying several warehouses, and knocked over a few Ashes without pilots in them. "Damn it Judau! They've raised the alarm already!" Carrus yelled, drawing a Beam Rifle, and gripping the Wave Rider tightly as Judau circled around the base. Carrus fired several rounds, but only a couple of shots hit Mobile Suits before their pilots could scramble inside. "Damn it! I can't hit them when we're going this fast!"

"Then hop off you pansy!" Judau answered as he made another pass, firing a pair of GN missiles into a hangar, filling the building with a colossal explosion.

"And become a sitting target? No way!" Carrus looked behind him, noticing a few Hellions take off in the distance. "Oh crap! They've still got some Hellions!"

"Come on! It's just like fighting a low tech Enact! No big!"

"You can talk!" Carrus answered, kicking on his pedals, the Eternal Freedom launched itself, and drew its second Beam Rifle, firing it at the approaching Hellions, which broke away without a scratch. "Shit! Those guys are experts! Judau! Get out of there! They're heading straight for you!" Suddenly, a chain of fire caught his attention, and from below, Carrus noticed three Geara Dogas hiding behind cover of a wrecked building, firing at Carrus with Gatling Lasers, forcing him to the ground. "Damn it! Can't fight in the air like this!" Swooping down, Carrus flew toward the Geara Dogas, holstering his left Beam Rifle and drawing a Beam Sabre, constantly swooping around buildings, avoiding laser fire. Just as he passed a corner, his eyes widened, seeing a Geara Doga fire a Bazooka round at him, the ground in front of him going up in fire and smoke.

"Did I get that bastard?" The pilot asked over the comm. Suddenly, before he could see it, a Dragoon flew above him, firing a beam straight down the middle, detonating the Geara Doga, and Carrus rolled the Eternal Freedom behind its cover, the Dragoon withdrawing as seven Geara Dogas fired at him with their laser rifles.

"Damn it! Judau! I'm pinned down!" Carrus yelled, combining his Beam Rifles into one cannon, and firing it at a Geara Doga, which had withdrawn into cover. "These guys are too damn good! They've got me surrounded!"

"Think THAT'S bad? Look up!" Judau screeched. Carrus gazed up in his console, and gasped at the sight, Judau was being chased by eighteen Hellions, and had anti-air fire raining at him from below. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea!"

"Really? You don't say!" Carrus yelled in a cynical manner, standing up from behind cover and shooting a Geara Doga in the shoulder, and another shot aimed at the chest of a second, but the pilot had sidestepped, and the arm was caught instead. "You know what? These guys got a really good trap going on! I'm starting to wonder how many of these guys there really were if they got Ashes set up!"

"No kidding!" Judau answered, as he transformed, and fired two grenades into one Hellion, and swiped his Beam Sabre through another. Judau dived, letting gravity push him down to the tarmac so he could avoid the anti-air fire for a moment, and fired off his last two missiles with locking on. As the Hellions scattered, Judau detonated the stray missiles, and caught three Hellions in the blast. "Aw yeah!" He jeered, until an Ash and four Geara Dogas started firing at him from behind, making him dive behind a building with his front to the water. "Oh no!"

"Oh yeah, great move jackass!" Carrus yelled, watching the action from behind the corner, and firing off a shot into the chest of a Geara Doga, detonating it in a chain reaction, and catching two more in the blast, not noticing a Geara Doga crawl around him with a Beam Cannon.

"Hey! At least I kicked ass here!" Judau answered over the comm. Suddenly, an urge hit Carrus, and looking to his side, he noticed the Geara Doga draw its Beam Cannon on him, and he fired his chain guns into its cannon before it could fire a shot, detonating the cannon and throwing the Geara Doga into a building. Splitting his Cannon, he aimed a Beam Rifle into the chest of the fallen Geara Doga and pulled the trigger, causing the Mobile Suit to explode. "Damn it, he nearly got me!"

"Shit! These Hellions are all over me! I hate gravity!" Judau yelled, the sound of beams rocking his comm.

"Hey! How about a little help right about now?" Carrus yelled to the air, hoping that someone may listen. Almost on cue, a glimmer sparked in the sky, and a large purple beam descended, vaporizing three Hellions from the sky, and striking two Geara Dogas. "What the?"

"That was… a GN particle beam?" Judau exclaimed.

_**(M.N: Pelican Escape, Jeff Williams)**_

Suddenly a Geara Doga slammed through the wall behind Judau, breaking through, Beam Axe in hand, about to strike down, when a monolithic Mobile Suit slammed on top of it, armed with a massive twin barrelled cannon. The Mobile Suit seemed to closely resemble the Zeta Gundam, only in the core of its back, sat a GN Drive that spouted green GN particles, much like 00 Qan [T] and Harute. On seeing it, Judau's eyes widened in surprise and ecstasy. The new Gundam stood to its feet, an aimed its hand held cannon at the hole the Geara Doga flew through, firing a round, cutting through a Geara Doga with ease.

"Hey… the ZZ Gundam!" Judau laughed. "Great timing! I'm kinda using a lot of GN particles!"

"What did I tell you about that?" A girl's voice yelled over Judau's comm, making him sweat nervously as the girl appeared on his screen, wearing a similar pilot suit to Judau's, only dark blue with a yellow star on the side of her helmet. "Damn it Judau! I told you a Tau GN Drive has limited particles!"

"Uh… hey… Roux…"

Meanwhile, Carrus saw the confusion on the battlefield, and saw the Geara Dogas were moving towards the new arrival. Taking advantage, he leaped out of cover, fired a shot from his Impulse Cannon, but his targets knew his strategy, diving out of the way as the shot passed through. "DAMN IT!" Raising his arm, he activated his Beam Shield, crouching enough to deflect as much fire as he could. "Crap! Really thought I had a shot!" Once again, a hail of blue beams fell from the sky, striking the Geara Dogas in the way, followed by a pair of falling Hellions. Carrus' eyes widened, and he looked to the sky, almost shocked at the sight.

Plunging down at an amazing speed, was a familiar red Mobile Suit, with a backpack that had a pair of wings that pointed to the rear. The Mobile Suit flashed to the ground, drawing a dual ended Beam Sabre. As it approached the Geara Dogas that approached it, it spun along the ground, cutting the enemy suits in two, and halting, aiming at one of the last Geara Dogas, and firing the cannons lodged in the pack, destroying the Geara Doga instantly.

"That was the Infinite Justice…" Carrus whispered in belief. Instinctively, he hailed the new arrival, believing for a moment who the pilot was. "Uncle… Athrun?"

"Not quite Carrus!" A woman's voice replied, taking Carrus by surprise.

"Huh?" The screen opened up on Carrus' monitor, and sitting in the pilot's seat, was a woman in a suit similar to Judau's once again, but this one was the same red that denoted a ZAFT ace. The woman took off her helmet, revealing long burgundy hair that dropped just above her shoulders, but her face was almost identical to Mayu's. "Wha- Mrs Asuka?"

"Oh come on Carrus! How many times have I got to tell you! It's just Lunamaria, okay?" Lunamaria chuckled, wearing a great grin on her face.

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

_****_TWO MORE CHAPTERS? I'm awesome! Next chapter? SHIT gets REAL. Look forward to it.

~Vaxercon


	29. A Desperate Defence

**Chapter Twenty Eight: A Desperate Defence**

_Kira lay back in the park bench staring up, watching the clouds float above him, and felt the cold air against his skin while his hair fluttered in the wind. The peace lasted, and Kira sighed at the surge of heat hitting his body. "Here you go, Dad." Feldt announced, standing next to Kira while holding an ice cream cone to him._

_Kira turned his head, and smiled at the sight of his daughter. "Oh, thank you Feldt." Kira reached out and grabbed his, while Feldt sat down next to him with her own. "Do you have my change?' Kira asked while Feldt unceasingly shuffled. "Ice cream is two dollars each; I gave you a five dollar bill." Feldt slowly handed Kira the bill but stopped hearing him laugh and smiled as he ruffled her hair. "I'm joking, keep it. You still need to get a job though Feldt. If Lacus is re-elected as Chairwoman, you should learn about working for yourself and still get everything you want." Kira chuckled, taking a lick of his cold treat. "Even if it's only part-time."_

_"I did have a job." Feldt said surprising Kira, "I used to work at a library."_

_"Oh, how does that pay?" Kira asked with a smile._

_"The key word in that sentence was that I USED to." Feldt said taking her own lick, a sour expression growing on her face._

_"Wait, what happened? Did you get fired?"_

_"I quit. it didn't feel right, I felt uncomfortable with guys looking at me, I also think that the manager only hired me because of not just yours, but mother's position too. It didn't feel like a real job experience." She sighed, "I wonder if Carrus will be able to get a part time job when he's old enough?"_

_"Who knows? I only hear news about him via Athrun." Kira sighed leaning back again. "All I hope for is that it never involves mobile suits."_

_"Yeah." Feldt grumbled sadly, biting into her ice cream again._

_"So did you get another boyfriend yet?' Kira asked with a slight grin, making Feldt gag in surprise and splashing ice cream all over her face._

_"Where did that come from?" Feldt shouted making several people in the park glance over for an instant. "I don't want to talk about that kind of thing after what happened with Neil..." Feldt mumbled, turning away, her face bright red._

_"Oh? But what about that Setsuna guy?" Kira asked. "The one Lacus mentioned to me?"_

_"Um… Who?" Feldt giggled innocently. "Dad, I don't know anyone by that name…"_

_"Hello Feldt."_

_"Oh… hello Setsuna… EEP!" Feldt jumped in her seat, looking straight at Setsuna, who had suddenly appeared in black jeans and a buttoned white shirt. Slinging a look to her side, she saw Kira spread a wide grin across his mouth. "Oh right… Setsuna." Feldt said noticing her face and used her sleeve to wipe the ice cream off quickly. "Wait… What are you doing here?" She asked as Kira remained silent and watched._

_"I was walking by. I have the day off duty and I saw you, I didn't mean to bother you." Setsuna answered formally, noticing Kira. A flicker of realization came over him, and he stood to attention suddenly, taking Kira by surprise. "Ah! Kira Yamato? The original pilot of the Strike Gundam?"_

"_Uhm… yes?" Kira stammered with a nervous smile._

"_One of the first five G weapon mobile suits using the original G.U.N.D.A.M system, followed by you piloting the Freedom during the last half of the Bloody Valentine conflict then the first half of the second then you used the Strike Freedom for the remainder of the second Bloody Valentine war!" Setsuna exclaimed, his voice getting higher. "It is an honor to meet you, sir!"_

_"...I take it you know a little bit about me." Kira chuckled, sweating nervously._

_"But of course sir! It's my duty as a soldier to know his superior officer." Setsuna explained adjusting his collar. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable." _

_"Oh no! It's fine! I take it as a compliment." Kira chuckled, with a glance over to Feldt as she finished her ice cream. "You know what… Feldt?"_

_"Hmm?" She replied looking over but was surprised when Kira grabbed her arm and pulled her up._

_"Setsuna is off duty so why don't you go hang out with him while I go see your mother. We can meet up for dinner later?" Kira chuckled with a wink, but Feldt squirmed while Setsuna stood by staring confused. _

_"I want to spend time with you though Dad!" She said but Kira ruffled her hair again with a laugh. "You have no idea how long it takes for me to fix my hair…"_

_"I have an idea." Kira answered in jest. "We can see each other in a few hours. After all, I need to spend time with your mother as well." Kira nudged Feldt toward Setsuna playfully, standing up from his seat. "Take care of my daughter for me, Setsuna."_

"_Yes! Mister Yamato!" Setsuna spluttered, throwing a stiff salute, taking Kira by surprise. Chuckling, Kira turned away with a wave and started to walk off._

"_Dad!" Feldt yelled after her father, making Kira stop to look back. "Make sure you keep your phone on so that I can call you!" Feldt called loudly before Kira waved over._

_Kira nodded, smiling at Feldt. "I will, promise."_

* * *

_**(M.N: Memory, Kenji Kawai)**_

Setsuna watched over the Earth from the observation deck of the Daemon class vessel, Exia. He seemed to keep drifting off to that day, the day when everything seemed to change. He could remember it clearly, when he realised just how lucky he was to meet Feldt. He couldn't bear the thought that his mortal enemy was the man who could do nothing but smile at him, but now he had seen for himself the side that once consumed Kira, the side that ZAFT pilots once feared twenty two years ago. Kira was without a doubt, his greatest trial to overcome.

"Heya Setsuna." Setsuna turned slowly, seeing Adrian. Lately, since seeing Feldt again, he began to feel doubt about the man who brought him into the life which he enjoyed with every passing moment, even if he had to descend to the battlefield again. "Heard you got whipped by Kira Yamato."

"… He had help sir… and I do apologize."

"Hey, against him? This is the man who killed Rau Le Creuset and Gilbert Durandal, there's no surprise that you got beaten by Kira Yamato, the so called 'Ultimate Coordinator'." Adrian chuckled, leaning on the rail that stood next to the glass of the deck. "You okay? You seem quiet."

"Chairman I…" Setsuna hesitated, how could he phrase his uncertainty to a man who he wanted to trust, but somehow couldn't bear to listen to anymore? "I'm just tired, sir."

"After Orb is taken down, you won't have to worry anymore. We'll take it from there."

"And Feldt, sir?"

"Feldt Yamato?" Adrian smiled. "Oh, like I'd ever put the young girl in danger."

"What?"

"Come now, she's more valuable to me alive than dead, girl like her would have her mother's talent of being able to show people a new way to live. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Not… really…" Setsuna answered truthfully. "She's too shy to live like that…"

"You don't say? Well then, guess she makes for great collateral to use against that father of hers."

"He… just gets more determined to fight knowing she's in danger." Setsuna sighed, trying not to look Adrian in the eye.

_**(M.N: Declaration, Kenji Kawai)**_

"Ah, but what about her rather skilful brother?"

"What?"

"Oh, like I didn't know about Carrus. Tell me Setsuna, were you ever going to tell me about him, hm?" Setsuna looked into his eyes, seeing an air of arrogance, he was testing Setsuna, and he wanted Setsuna to know.

"… I… I… I have to prepare for the Operation, sir…" Setsuna answered, snapping his heels together, and saluting Adrian, then walking out, trying to keep his same blank expression as he walked out.

"Oh Setsuna… what are you trying to do, break my heart?" Adrian muttered to himself while looking into his reflection, breaking into a wide grin while gazing at the Earth."

* * *

_**(M.N: Eien Heno Shunkan, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

"Call it off?" Tieria gasped at the idea of Setsuna's sudden announcement. "Setsuna, you and I both know-"

"He's too suspicious as it is, Tieria." Setsuna answered, as he strapped on his helmet, flicking at his switches inside the 00 Qan [T]. "If we continue, I'm afraid-"

"There you go again!" Tieria snapped. Inside the private channel between their Mobile Suits, was the only privacy the pair got at any opportunity, so it was one of the few times they could chat freely. "You can't get your mind away from Feldt Yamato! She is just one person, and not even an important one for the plan! How could we possibly overthrow Viper if-"

"We can't damn it!" Setsuna retaliated. "We just… He knows too much… we can't… not with just the two of us…"

"So, you would condemn the world, all for one girl?"

"If that's what it takes, then yes." Setsuna groaned, his chest felt heavy as he said it, knowing he could never sacrifice Feldt for anything.

"Hmph." Tieria responded. "Very well. You can give up if you wish, but I will find a way to break Adrian Viper and Veda's control by myself." Like that, Tieria cut the channel, leaving Setsuna feel isolated and separated from the only person he could call his ally.

"_And to top it off, you know Setsuna of all people? What is he to you?"_ Carrus' voice echoed within Setsuna's mind, trying to shake off his memories, he raised his visor and patted around his nose, trying to ease the memories.

"_Just because your allegiance has changed doesn't make your reasons more justified." _Even Kira's words were lodged in Setsuna's mind. Opening his eyes, he realised there were tears lying under his eyes, trying to think of Kira and Carrus as the enemy was more painful than he thought.

_"Go ahead. I know that you have to go so I won't make you late."_ Setsuna grit his teeth, the past now did nothing but hold him back, hearing Feldt's voice now put him ill at ease.

_**(M.N: Take Off, Kenji Kawai)**_

"Setsuna F Seiei! 00 Qan [T]! Launching!" Setsuna felt the jolt in his back as he was forced into his chair by the g-forces, and the 00 Qan [T] flew through the recesses of space to head to Earth, following Tieria. He noticed the Epyon following him, and wondered, who is that pilot?

* * *

_**(M.N: Mist, Akira Senju)**_

Carrus looked to his rescuers, Judau at his side, as the four pilots walked toward each other from the battlefield. Carrus and Judau stopped just opposite Roux and Lunamaria Nothing happened for a few moments, until Lunamaria smiled and tilted her head.

"Hi."

Carrus blushed a little as he scratched the back of his head, nervous about responding to Mayu's mother. "Uhm… hi… Lunamaria…"

"That wasn't so hard, huh?"

"Wow…" Roux giggled, taking off her helmet, letting loose long lavender hair that fell under her shoulder blades. "And I thought Carrus Yamato would be some charismatic, bold young hero type!"

"Uhh… and… you… are?" Carrus blinked.

Roux shot Judau a look, as if waiting for him to do something. When several seconds passed, she gave a loud cough, and Judau suddenly clicked. "Oh! Right! Carrus, this is Roux Louka, and she's… kinda… my… girlfriend? Sorta?"

"Sorta?" Roux asked, raising an eyebrow with a loud tone. "KINDA?"

Judau spun around to face Roux directly, looking at her awkwardly. "Well, we're so on again, off again!"

"You're so dense Judau! You're never around! That's why we're so 'on again, off again'!"

"Ahem." Lunamaria announced, reminding Judau and Roux about her presence. "Anyway, as much as I'd love to chat, we're going to have to save it till we're on the road, after all, those Ashes that were scattered can't be the only ones I'd imagine, right?"

"Oh yeah!" Carrus remembered, still coming to terms that Lunamaria had arrived. "What happened to those guys?"

Lunamaria had quite a serious tone, she was still very much a soldier, just like twenty years ago. "Probably already left, they'll be halfway to Orb by now."

"Then, shouldn't we go?" Roux asked.

"Yeah, better now than never!" Carrus answered, running to the Eternal Freedom, while Lunamaria ran to the Justice.

Before Judau could return to the Zeta, Roux grabbed his arm. "Not you!"

"What? How come?"

"Did you FORGET the whole reason I came out here for you?" Roux answered, quite agitated at Judau's forgetfulness. "You're taking the Double Zeta! I'll get the Zeta refuelled at the Archangel, and then re-join you!"

"Oh. Yeah, I knew that!" Judau laughed, running to the still very new ZZ that knelt on the tarmac.

"Sure you did!" Roux yelled as Judau ran. Realising that Judau couldn't hear her, she shook her head, and ran back to the Zeta Gundam.

* * *

The Eternal Freedom sped across the water, followed by the Infinite Justice. Carrus was amazed, he never thought the woman who raised Mayu would be so accomplished in a machine like the Justice, even knowing the tales about her during the Second Bloody Valentine War.

"Soooo, mother to boyfriend…" Lunamaria chuckled over a comm to Carrus.

"What? How the HECK do you know?"

"Oh, like I don't talk with YOUR mother!" Lunamaria grumbled.

Carrus' eyes widened, and he took a great gulp. "Seriously?"

"Yeah!" Lunamaria answered in an obvious sounding tone. "We knew it'd happen since you were kids! I mean, for crying out loud, you were growing up in the same neighbourhood! And, come on, Mayu's got a REALLY attractive figure."

"Say wha?"

"I mean, come on, she gets that from me!"

"How… egotistical of you…" Carrus groaned, when suddenly, a loud series of alarms sounded. "Crap… it's a direct alarm from Orb…"

"What?" Lunamaria answered, becoming more serious.

"Yeah… looks like… an attack force from… orbit?"

* * *

_**(M.N: Saigo no Seisen ~Ikari, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

"All hands!" Andrew Waltfeld announced. "Upgrade to level one battlestations! This is it people! Time to make it work! Meyrin! How we looking?"

Meyrin Hawke, Mayu's aunt and Lunamaria's younger sister looked over from the chief operator's chair to the left of Andrew, and announced loudly. "Not good, I'm counting an attack force of nearly eighty three Mobile Suits, and this is just one wave! On top of that, at the front are two unknowns, and the 00 Qan [T]!"

"You hear that, Merrue?" Andrew bellowed into the screen above him.

* * *

"I'm afraid so." Merrue answered, in her position aboard the Archangel. Right now, we can't do much other than hold them off until the colony ships launch!"

"With only a handful of machines?" Mu interjected from below the deck, in the CIS commander's post. "Isn't that exactly what we always do?"

"Not now Mu!" both Merrue and Andrew yelled at Mu who chuckled and scratched at his head.

"Right, sorry…" Mu chuckled, getting back into his role. "Okay! Ready all missile tubes! Prepare Igellstellungs, Valiants and Gottfrieds for anti-Mobile Suit combat, now!"

* * *

Lacus ran to the captain's chair of the Eternal, laying down in the chair and facing the main monitor. "Any word from Carrus and Judau mister Waltfeld?"

"Sorry, Lacus. Nothing." Andrew responded sternly. "Whatever they're doing, I hope it was important!"

"It is, I'm sure of it…" Lacus answered, hoping for her son's return. "Prepare for launch, everyone… and good luck."

* * *

_**(M.N: Shutsugeki! Impulse, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

"Shinn Asuka! Destiny! LAUNCHING!" Shinn called, as the Destiny launched from the hangar of the Eternal, being the first to leave the Eternal, following the pilots who had already left the Archangel, just as Kira readied himself on the catapult.

"Lacus, any idea where Carrus is?"

"No Kira, I'm sorry, he seems to have disappeared for the moment." Lacus responded to Kira's request, Kira noting a touch of worry in her voice.

"Don't give it a thought!" Kira smiled. "I'm sure he'll return quickly.

"Okay dear…" Lacus smiled. "Please be careful, and I love you!"

Kira nodded, smiling at his beloved. It was all she needed. Looking out the entrance, Kira's face hardened, and he knew what to call out. "Kira Yamato, Strike Freedom! LET'S DO IT!"

* * *

"Well, such a small force?" Tieria commented as he saw the enemy prepare their formation, noting no more than five Mobile Suits fly out of the Archangel and Eternal. "Have the Orb forces become so downtrodden that they need to rely on a handful of Mobile Suits to defend their country?"

"Don't give them too much chance." Tyler commented. "This could well mean they have an ace in the hole, remember the first Earth Alliance invasion of Orb?"

"You raise a good point." Tieria answered. "They did sacrifice their higher government and Morgenroete to annihilate a whole enemy force."

"In any case, we'll finish this." Setsuna announced, taking Tieria slightly by surprise. "Tieria, take them all out in one shot."

"Right… roger Setsuna."


	30. Orb's Reformation

**Chapter Twenty Nine: Orb's Reformation**

_**(M.N: Counterattack, Kenji Kawai)**_

Tieria began to charge the two large GN Cannons on either side of the Raphael, and aimed his GN Buster Rifle straight down, his GN Drives started working into overdrive and spurted more green GN particles, looking to fire at the Eternal. "Raphael Gundam, commencing strafing of enemy battleship!" With his call, the Raphael fired, leaving three bright purple beams fire, straight down on top of the Eternal.

"Three high powered beams! Coming straight at us!" Meyrin yelled from inside the bridge of the Eternal.

"Activate the Positron Barrier!" Andrew yelled, as the crew worked quickly, while the Eternal, the Archangel and all the colony ships began to do the same, developing a web of blue laser that spread around the top of each ship, the beams from the Raphael collided with the beams, diffusing instantly.

"Damn! Those infernal beings actually installed Positron barriers?" Tieria cursed.

"So that's it." Tyler muttered. "All units, follow-" Suddenly, before Tyler could finish, two immense golden beams fired upwards, catching him by surprise. "FUCKING-!" The beams just missed Tyler and Setsuna on their descent, struck the Raphael, and caught half the invading force.

"TIERIA!" Setsuna called out. As the beams defused, Setsuna spotted the Raphael, with its GN Field activated and still descending. "You all right?"

Tieria responded calmly over the comm. "Yes, although that took a lot of particles, I almost had to activate Trans-Am. What was that?"

"I see it!" Tyler snarled, spotting the Wing Zero Gundam flying over the Mass Driver, guarding two Colony ships that were starting their acceleration. Its Buster Rifles were beginning to charge again. "Oh no! I won't let you fire that damned weapon again!" Folding his wings and arms into the Epyon's torso and firing his GN Drive, the Epyon dived at an accelerated rate, straight toward the Wing Zero.

Lawrence sat in the cockpit of his Mobile Suit, watching the Epyon dive towards him. Catching a small glance of the Zero System allowed him to make one excellent shot that sharpened the chances of Orb escaping, and he knew he had to take the shot again. "So, you're coming at me? Well then, friend, you've made a bad call!" Releasing the shot, the beams from his Buster Rifle sped toward Tyler's suit which continued to plummet toward Lawrence.

Tyler watched the beam progress toward him, judging its distance constantly. "Come on… come on…" Suddenly, the Epyon flashed an image into his mind, and he took action. "NOW!" On instinct, the wings of the Epyon opened, the GN Drive released a burst of particles, and pushed the Epyon out of the way of the beams, all while the Beam was seconds away from striking him."

"What the hell?" Lawrence exclaimed, as the Epyon drew closer and closer to him, spinning its whip around, and drawing its Beam Sabre. Feeling the flash of his instincts, Lawrence drew his Beam Sabre and raised his Beam Shield to counter both whip and sabre, the clash sparked a great flash that was seen across the battlefield.

"You're not half bad!" Tyler roared over his comm, knowing the contact established a comm link with Wing Zero. "Hell, you've got guts, no doubt, but are you gonna last long enough against me?"

"Tch! So you're the pilot of that machine?"

"Tyler Komuro, of the Gundam Epyon!" Tyler sneered, kicking the Wing Zero off balance, landing on two feet and swiping his whip around, looking to cut through the Wing Zero, when Lawrence suddenly threw his Shield out, and caught the whip on the bottom point of his shield, pulling Epyon toward him and swinging with his Beam Sabre, Tyler parrying almost immediately.

"My name is Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Lamperouge, of the Orb Alliance." Lawrence answered, obliging Tyler after he gave his name so willingly. "Tell me, why does the Zero system seem to rebel so strongly with your machine?"

"That's what you're asking now?" Tyler replied with a snarky tone. "Hah! Once we've given our names, as warriors we have no choice but to fight to the DEATH!" Tyler's war cry was followed by Epyon doubling back, and tearing the Beam Shield off of Wing Zero, throwing it behind him, and lunging at Lawrence, who clasped his Beam Sabre with two hands, ready to parry the next strike.

* * *

_**(M.N: Extraction, Jeff Williams Feat Casey Lee Williams)**_

Seven Flags rained down over head, as Brandon leaped away from their fire, using the Unicorn's mobility to his advantage. It was clunky, not being able to fly in atmosphere, but he had to make do with his limitations. Aiming his Gatling Cannon upwards, Brandon fired, striking three Flags, and shooting them down. A Geara Zulu approached him from behind, swinging It's Beam Axe down, when Brandon raised his left arm, a shaft withdrew at the wrist, and as he swung it, a Beam Sabre emerged, and he sliced clean down the middle, kicking the Suit back, which hit another Geara Zulu, and detonated, taking both Suits down in one shot. As two more Carriers began to take off from the Mass Driver behind Brandon, a pair of Flags flew level with Brandon and firing their Linear rifles directly at him.

"Just stop already!" Brandon cried, drawing his Beam Magnum from its holster, aimed at the ground just in front of the two Flags, pulled the trigger, and the bolt echoed across the land, hit the ground and exploded, ripping the two fighters into shreds. "This is so pointless… why do they keep coming?" The two Carriers behind Brandon had taken off, and in space, just above Orb, Brandon saw that Positron cannons had been fired, and a battle in space had begun leading with the first two carriers and the ZAFT fleet in orbit, but something was off, Brandon could barely sense it, almost another presence in space fighting the ZAFT forces.

* * *

Harute flew around, firing pot shots at the Raphael, but unable to pierce his GN Field, even the GN Cannons did little effect against Tieria's machine. "Gundam Harute, the machine given as an act of good will from ZAFT to Orb, your role has ended here." Tieria said emotionlessly. "It is time for you to meet your fate right here!"

"We will not allow that!" Lotte yelled, transforming Harute into its Mobile Suit configuration, sliding the faceplate down to reveal all six eyes.

"While we live, this machine and all of Orb shall prosper with us!" Kat continued, and together, a storm of missiles and beams flew across the sky, and Tieria flew straight ahead, separating his cannons, spinning them around, and firing them to detonate the missiles, as he fired his Rifle straight into the hip of Harute. Lotte and Kat both screamed in agony at the feeling, almost experiencing the same pain on their own bodies.

"Then you shall die here, together with that machine of yours!" Tieria roared, drawing his Beam Sabre with his spare hand.

"Never!" Lotte and Kat snarled in unison, as Harute entered Trans-Am, and flew up, releasing their Scissor Bits, which flashed around Raphael. "We cannot die here!"

Tieria was quick, flying carefully around, back sideways, and constantly slashing with his Beam Sabre to swipe the incoming Bits. Noticing Harute fly at him out of the corner of his eye, Tieria snapped around, catching the incoming Harute with its Beam Sabre before it could cleave him in half. "How naïve of you, to think inferior beings like you could touch my machine!" The Raphael's Cannons slammed into the arms of the Harute, their vices clasping on tightly.

"What?" Lotte and Kat yelled, as the Cannons began to tear the arms off of Harute, the pair screamed in agony as Tieria wrenched their arms off, readying his Bean Sabre to stab the cockpit.

"Now perish!" Suddenly a blast of green beams and a single Impulse round rocketed toward Tieria, who snapped his gaze around the side. "What the hell?" Barely able to raise his GN Shield in time, his whole Suit rocked around from the Beams alone, but the Impulse round dissipated his GN Field and sent him spiralling to the ground, making him cry out as he fell to the tarmac of the deserted roads of Onogoro. "Who dares strike me?"

Flying down from above, Tieria saw his attacker, a white Mobile suit with golden joints and dark blue wings. "Stop it! Right now!" Kira roared, swinging both Beam Sabres around and straight down on top of Tieria.

Tieria's eyes widened, as he rolled out of the way. "Well, Kira Yamato! I see we get to meet at last."

"Your voice… it isn't human, you're an Innovade, aren't you?" Kira observed, his eyes wrinkling as if he were glaring intently at Tieria.

_**(M.N: Ice Fight, Jeff Williams)**_

Tieria's eyes widened, he was wondering how Kira could know such information that even many higher ups in ZAFT had never heard of. "What? How did you? Tsh! In any case! This is more reason why you must die!" Tieria roared, and preparing to fire his Cannons when the Destiny flew in out of nowhere, and smacked the Raphael with his palm, forcing Tieria to the ground. "What?"

"DIE!" Shinn yelled, when one Cannon slammed into Shinn sending him into a building.

"SHINN!" Kira bellowed, turning to face Tieria, and slashing down, when a mass of GN Particles stopped him, forming quickly the shape of the 00 Qan [T]. "Setsuna! You're going to keep fighting like this?"

"That is of no concern to you, Kira Yamato!" Setsuna roared, bashing Kira's machine in the torso with his shield, spinning around, as his Sword Bits attached to his GN Sword, forming a rifle. "Disappear!" Setsuna pulled his trigger, and fired a wide beam that sped toward Kira, who kicked off the ground and took to the sky. "Tieria, I will handle Kira Yamato!"

"Are you sure? If you hesitate again-"

"Then I will die, that is all." Setsuna affirmed with determination in his eyes.

"… Very well." Tieria answered, leaping back to his new opponent, flying through the gradually ruined city, when an Impulse cannon fired at his back, and Tieria, surprised at the sudden attack, dived out of the way, and avoided Shinn as he dived with his Sword swinging on top of him.

"Enough playing around!" Shinn roared, swinging wildly, but controlled as he scratched the surface of Raphael's armour.

"Damn it! He's better than I thought!" Tieria growled. Deflecting one thrust with his Beam Rifle, when suddenly, Shinn lunged with his palm, and clasping the head of the Raphael. "No!"

"You're finished now!" Shinn roared, as the fingers of the Destiny clasped on the head of Raphael, beginning to crush it under the strain of his palm cannon

"Not yet…" Tieria began to growl, even as his sensors began to collapse. Tieria took one look at Shinn's machine, and his eyes began to glow golden as Quantum Brainwaves flew threw out his mind and into his machine. "SERAVEE!" The back pack of the Raphael leaped off Raphael, and the Cannons joined together, forming a short, stocky Mobile Suit, armed with a pair of Beam Cannons.

"What the hell?" Shinn yelled wide eyed, as the Mobile Suit fired two controlled bursts through the arms of the Destiny, knocking Shinn to the ground. "AH, SHIT!" Before he could move, Seravee landed on top of the Destiny, pinning Shinn to the ground. The Raphael walked over slowly toward Shinn, and without much warning, Tieria aimed his Rifle at the cockpit of the Destiny.

"Any last requests?"

"I'm not the kind to make 'em…" Shinn growled.

Tieria smiled a little, amused at Shinn's stubbornness. "I see. Very well then." Suddenly, an alarm sounded in his cockpit, and Tieria looked up to the source, seeing a new Mobile Suit fly on to the scene, with three more following it. "Now what?"

_**(M.N: We Are Celestial Being, Kenji Kawai)**_

"Get your hands off him you son of A BITCH!" Carrus roared, as the Eternal Freedom rocketed down toward Raphael, slamming into it and Seravee head first.

"What? Who are you? Identify yourself!" Tieria yelled in frustration and confusion.

Carrus didn't reply immediately, kicking off Seravee, letting it fall into a cliff and taking Raphael into the air with it, he threw Raphael in the air, firing his Impulse Cannon at Tieria. "How about the guy who's going to kick your ass?"

Tieria grit his teeth, raised his GN Field, and fired his GN Rifle right down the centre of the Impulse cannon, causing a chain reaction, and the two beams detonated in a contained explosion. "I see now… so you are Carrus Yamato, correct?"

"What's it to you?" Carrus answered harshly, not noticing Seravee had launched at him. When a spark hit him, his eyes flashed golden for a moment, Carrus looked down, and saw Seravee fly toward him, six Beam Sabres flailing out of various joints in its body, forcing Carrus to double back and fire his Beam Rifles square through the chest of Seravee as it turned around.

Tieria looked at Seravee in shock, the machine exploded with little warning. "How? How did he detect Seravee's presence?" Tieria looked at Carrus, feeling a distinct sense that could only be described as a connection, while Carrus glared back at Tieria, putting such a matter behind him. "It seems I underestimated you greatly, Carrus Yamato. Tell me, are you an Innovator?"

Carrus didn't reply. He simply gazed into the eyes of the Raphael, failing to notice his eyes had dilated and glowing golden. He didn't even realise the SEED within him had flourished, and all he would do is stare his opponent down. "Tell me, why are you here?"

"Excuse me?" Tieria answered in surprise.

"You heard! You're out gunned and not in a position to bargain with me, so why are you here?"

"Fool! I still have my Mobile Suit! TRANS-AM!" Tieria roared, as the Raphael glowed red, and dashed toward Carrus, readying its Beam Sabre, and swung it at Carrus' torso, when the Eternal Freedom suddenly caught Raphael's arm, glowing a deep blue, and ripped the arm from its socket, clasping onto the back of its neck.

"You were saying?" Carrus answered in a demeaning tone.

Tieria was shaking, unable to comprehend Carrus' ability compared to what he heard about him. "H-how? How could I… lose?"

"Don't take it personally. NOW. Why are you here?"

"Hmph." Tieria smirked, as he saw in the distance a distinct red glow. "Not that it matters, Setsuna will complete his objective soon."

"Setsuna? You mean?" Carrus paused, realising what was happening, his eyes shook in fear and realisation, knowing what was happening. "No… no… no, no, no!" Throwing the Raphael down, he flew toward the source of the glow at top speed. "Father! Don't die on me now!"

* * *

_**(M.N: Kyouki no Hate, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

"TRANS-AM!" Setsuna roared, as the 00 Qan [T] began to glow the same deep red as earlier, and the Sword Bits flashed around, flying around Kira, who was struggling just to keep them from piercing his Mobile Suit. "Setsuna! Stop this at once! Do you know how Feldt will feel if you go through with this?"

"I will not be swayed like that once again!" Setsuna snarled, as he fired from his shield cannons and GN Rifle, trying to shoot Kira down as he darted over the city and the beach head, trying to draw Setsuna out of Orb. "I refuse to let my actions be dictated by her!"

"So you would let her die?" Kira yelled, drawing his Beam Sabres, and clashing with Setsuna.

"You're twisting the world to your selfish idealism!" Setsuna bellowed, as he scraped his blade against the beam of the Strike Freedom's Sabres. "If a handful of people must die for the world to be reborn, so be it!"

"You stubborn idiot!" Kira bellowed, kicking the 00 Qan [T] away for a moment. "Meyrin!" Kira called out to the bridge of the Eternal. "It's time! Utilise formation 'Fallen Angel'!"

* * *

"Lacus!" Meyrin responded quickly to the request. "Kira's given the signal!"

Lacus nodded with a determined look in her eye. "Send it out."

Meyrin swivelled back to her post quickly, calling out orders to the work crews. "All hands! Launch the Force Silhouette!" Moments later, a red and black glider carrying a pair of large Excalibur class anti-ship Swords launched from the hanger and flew towards Kira's position.

* * *

Setsuna clashed with Kira again and again. His frustrations grew as Kira repeatedly deflected his every attack, and knowing that his time in Trans-Am was growing short with every failed attack. "Why? Why fight this way, Kira Yamato? Don't you realise that peace can never be gained as long as we never change?"

"No Setsuna!" Kira yelled in response, his Dragoons spiralling around doing battle with Setsuna's Sword Bits. "It isn't because humanity won't change! It's because of people like Adrian Viper that despise the change that is happening!"

"That isn't true!"

"Think Setsuna!" Kira snapped. "We were on our way to peace, everyone loved Lacus' ideals, but the moment Adrian takes over, he calls for an immediate campaign to throw the world into turmoil once again!"

"Quit lying to yourself!" Setsuna cried out, trying desperately not to listen to Kira's words.

"You're the one hiding from the truth!" Kira rebutted, suddenly becoming shocked when he noticed Carrus in the distance, flying towards him.

"Kira! Get down! I'll handle this!" Carrus yelled over the comm.

"No Carrus! Fall back!"

"But I-"

"I can finish this… I have to finish this!" Kira called out, suddenly launching into the air, as the Force Silhouette flew over his head, throwing both Beam Sabres at Setsuna, who tried to deflect them with his Shield, when one pierced his right wrist.

"Damn it! My sword!" Setsuna cursed, his wrist joint were lost in his sword arm, making the hand freeze

_**(M.N: Decisive Battle, Kenji Kawai)**_

"This ends now!" Kira roared, diving down, both Swords at his side, he swung them around, forcing Setsuna to strike and deflect with every technique at his disposal. "You can't see the world for what it is anymore! How can you claim to know what's right when all you do is take orders and don't decide your own future?"

"Shut up!" Setsuna snarled, clashing with one sword, and forcing it down, when Kira suddenly attached the hilts of both swords together, and used both as a dual edged sword, swinging them around and striking a Sword Bit that flung itself desperately at him from behind. "I am an Innovator! What I see dictates how humanity needs to live!"

"Being an Innovator is more than blindly following your own beliefs, Setsuna!" Kira spun, catching the 00 Qan [T] with the full end of the blade, and flinging him into the forest below, his Trans-Am exhausted and reverting to the usual colours.

"No! NO!" Setsuna yelled, cursing at his console. "I can't lose to him again!"

"You already lost the moment you chose to fight here, Setsuna." Kira sighed, sadness welling up in his eyes. Suddenly, the Strike Freedom lit up with a deep blue glow, and Carrus' eyes grew wide seeing the sight that had become so familiar to him.

"Wait a moment! That's… Kira has a Lambda Driver installed?"

"That glow!" Setsuna gaped, unable to comprehend the fact that had presented itself to him. "It's the same as the glow on Carrus' Freedom! How? Why? Why were you holding back all this time?"

Kira looked sadly down on Setsuna, trying to wear his heart on his sleeve. "In all this time, I hoped never to use this infernal device in combat…" Kira answered honestly. "Every time I activate it, I have to look upon all the horrors of my past and try to move past it at every given second… but even so! You've made me prove to you, there's more to fighting this war than your machine, or your beliefs, all that matters is how hard you are willing to fight for your greatest desire!" Kira dived, much faster than Setsuna could move, his muscles ached from the battle, and his mind was so cluttered, that when Kira struck, to him, it lasted a second, Kira had cleaved the left arm of the 00 Qan [T] off the body, separating the two GN Drives from one another.

But to Carrus who was watching from the side-lines, it felt more like an eternity, as he watched the 00 Qan [T] freeze and collapse to the ground. "Kira… is this what it means to be an… Ultimate Coordinator?"

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

__Oh yeah, I finished another two chapters. As you can tell, there's a lot of tracks from various sources other than Gundam that inspire me with this series. Here's a few others I'd like to pay tribute to:

-Red VS Blue season 8/9

-Valkyrie Profile

-Final Fantasy Series

-Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

And that one track from Bleach which is just HAUNTING. Seriously so. Soundscape to Ardor. Look it up.

~Vaxercon


	31. Fire in Space

**Chapter Thirty: Fire in Space**

**T.S.A Archangel Bridge, 1527, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

"Fall back!" Athrun issued the final order, as he stood tall from behind Merrue. "All units! Fall back to the Eternal and the Archangel! We need to evacuate immediately!"

"Ensign Links here!" Brandon responded quickly, despite being surrounded by a group of Geara Zulus, the sound of gunfire echoed, followed by the sound of the Unicorn's Beam Magnum. After a few moments, Brandon continued his message. "No good here, there are too many enemies all over the place, and on top of that, I'm carrying the Harute… or… what's left of it…"

"Can you confirm if the pilots are still alive?" Merrue asked quickly, just as a large explosion rocked the bridge from the right side.

"Affirmative, they're still okay for the moment."

"Roger, continue to fall back for the moment, we'll send out what support we can."

"Someone need my help?" Athrun flicked his gaze to another monitor in surprise, seeing Lunamaria's face staring back at him with a slight smile and a wink. "Lunamaria? When on Earth did you get back?"

"Well, that's a fine welcome!" Lunamaria answered, groaning at Athrun's constant serious attitude. "Look, you guys need my help or not?"

"We will." Athrun continued. "Brandon's going to need as much help as he can get right now."

"Mu, have we got a fix on Shinn's machine yet?" Merrue asked, leaning over her shoulder to look at him below.

"Yeah, but you're not gonna like it, his machine's frozen up and missing its arms and wings, he's dead on the ground!"

"What was that?" Athrun exclaimed.

"And he's got a Flag Team on his six, he's trying to get back, but without propulsion and minimal power, he's basically a sitting target!"

Athrun turned his attention back to the monitor, anxious at the news. "Luna! You read me?"

"Yello?" Lunamaria answered.

"Looks like your husband has got himself in a fix! Head to the city and find him before ZAFT does!"

"Shinn's in trouble? Okay! I'm on my way!"

* * *

**Morgenroete Mass Driver, 1528, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

_**(M.N: Youki to Bishoumi, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

Lunamaria was fidgety, even trying to close and open a new comm proved tougher than usual as she struggled to push the right keys. "Hey! Judau! Sorry, I'm going to have to run!"

Judau's face appeared on screen, baffled at Lunamaria's announcement. "Say what? In this firefight?"

"Hey, what's happened?" Roux chirped in on another monitor.

Lunamaria flicked at a few more keys, trying to find some trace of the Destiny left over. "Shinn's in trouble, and just this once I'm going to have to go back and save him!"

"Aw, damn it! Why now of all times? So I gotta protect the Archangel and Eternal by myself?" Judau groaned.

"Oh give it a rest! You're in the Double Zeta, Judau! You'll be fine!"

"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Aw I dunno…" Roux interrupted. "Maybe that you've got a GN Field like all those guys we've been hearing about?"

"Oh." Judau blinked in surprise. "Well, guess that compensates for something."

"I'll be back soon!" Lunamaria replied, as the Justice swerved back, and flew towards the city, seeing eight Flags circle around something within the city. "Shinn… hold on!" The Justice swooped down, sticking close to the buildings whilst avoiding enemy fire. Drawing the Justice's Beam Rifle, Lunamaria fired several shots, shooting down a Flag that had picked her out. Sweeping around, she dived behind cover, burst out again, and fired the cannons on the lifter, destroying another Flag that glided around just above her. Swooping around an intersection, Lunamaria stopped, seeing the Destiny kneeling behind a broken wall. "Shinn!"

"What? Luna?" Shinn called out. "What are you doing here… and… in the Justice?"

"No time to explain! Are you okay?" Luna asked, detaching the Lifter and placing the Destiny on top of it.

"Ugh… think my right arm is broken… but I'm alive…"

"Okay… hold on, we're heading back."

* * *

**Morgenroete Mass Driver, 1543, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

_**(M.N: Sentou Butai, Toshihiko Sahashi)**_

"Get out of the way!" Carrus roared, as he flew along the ground, slicing through Geara Zulu after Geara Zulu. Just before a pair of hovering Flags could shoot him down, he kicked off a factory, aiming his Railguns and firing clean holes through their torsos. "Damned nuisances! I'm not going to be stopped by some has-beens while those people are stuck on the ground!"

"Carrus, now isn't the time!" Kira called out, flying above him and cutting the limbs off those in his path. "We need to get you into space now so you can defend those Carriers!"

"Just me? What about on the ground?"

"Right now, only one carrier, the Eternal and the Archangel remains. You need to get into space to make sure the carriers can get to the moon, I've organised for the Unicorn to leave with you, now go!"

"Into… Roger." Carrus answered hesitatingly, flying straight to the last Carrier, with the Unicorn on the side, hanging onto some of the support railings.

"Carrus! Come on!" Brandon called out, the Unicorn waving its arm toward the carrier.

"I know! I know!" Carrus yelled, as he approached the carrier. The carrier's engines ignited just as Carrus gripped his controls, and the Freedom grabbed hold of the Unicorn. The Carrier began to take off, speeding along the tracks of the Mass Driver, the Freedom began to shake violently as the Carrier continued to speed up. "Oh man! This is way more violent than on board a ship!"

"Lawrence!" Brandon suddenly called out. Carrus looked over toward Brandon's sight line, watching the Epyon duel with the Wing Zero. "Damn it! We have to help him!"

"One shot is all I've got time for!" Carrus yelled in reply. Locking on slowly, he took a deep breath, readying his Impulse cannon. "Lawrence! On my signal, leap out of the way!"

"Carrus? Aren't you on the carrier?" Lawrence replied, a Beam Sabre crackling over his comm.

"Just shut up and move in two… one… MOVE!" Carrus yelled out, and pulling the trigger, his Impulse Cannon screeched across the sky as the Cruiser tilted upwards. The blast flew across the battlefield. Once it got close enough, Lawrence crouched, and the beam slammed into the ground, just in front of the Epyon.

"Crap, how couldn't Epyon see this coming?" Tyler snarled, when a sudden flash took his attention, and just as he sidestepped, the golden Beam Sabre of the Wing Zero pierced the right shoulder of the Epyon, cutting into the edge. "Damn it all!"

"Recommendation." The monotonous voice of Tyler's on board AI announced. "Evacuate, enemy presence is overwhelming, Ash force has been intercepted by unknown unit."

"Seriously?" Tyler snapped, noticing that by the shore line, the ZZ Gundam was standing by as a lone sentinel, cutting down one Ash after the other. "Fine then… Lawrence Lamperouge!"

"What?" Lawrence was surprised to hear Tyler's voice, as the Epyon leaped back dextrously, its arm limp from the damage.

"It pains me to say this, but it seems I must depart." Tyler announced without expression. "It seems we are destined to meet again, our Mobile Suits declared it. Farewell." And like that, Tyler leaped, the Epyon transforming into a dual headed dragon, and flying away from the combat zone, as a few Flags turned and followed him.

"What? Hey! Come back here!" Lawrence called out futilely. "What do you mean, 'our Mobile Suits declared'?"

Tyler sped away, refusing to look back. He simply could not bear to acknowledge that he lost, even to odds that were stacked against him later in the battle. "Tell me, are you certain about that, ALICE?"

ALICE responded simply, it was what she was programmed to do after all. "Affirmative. Presence of combat forecaster program, similar to Epyon system is confirmed. Combat actions taken, suggest most likely cause is a copy of the Epyon system, aboard unknown Mobile Suit."

"So, that's it, huh?" Tyler answered, stroking his chin. "A copy of the Epyon system…?"

* * *

**Earth Orbit, 200,000 feet Above Orb, 1527, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

"Phew!" Carrus breathed in, then out heavily. The strain of breaking atmosphere had passed, and the cruisers began to rendezvous, far out of range of the ZAFT forces that loomed mercilessly over the Earth surface. Carrus watched them anxiously, he was confused, and why didn't they attack now that he was in space? He watched them, trying to analyse their movements. Letting go of it for a moment, he turned his head back to the Unicorn, which let go of the cruiser, and floated to the head of the convoy. "Say, think it's odd?"

"Odd?" Brandon answered, flicking his monitor on to see Carrus. "What is?"

Carrus looked around, as the Eternal Freedom pushed away from the carrier. "We get attacked by ZAFT in a real relentless and planned attack, only for them to send just enough forces to look like a solid force… but I get the feeling they could have mustered more… don't you?"

"More?" Brandon replied with a blank look. "Carrus, Setsuna F Seiei was there, not to mention two more unknown mobile suits! I'm pretty sure Lotte and Kat got shot down by one of them, too! There wasn't much more ZAFT could have done, could they?"

"Orb's suffered worse attacks though…" Carrus answered, keeping an eye on the ZAFT fleet. "Like when they were hunting down Logos…"

Brandon couldn't help but roll his eyes, Carrus' paranoia was starting to annoy him a little. "Yeah, twenty years ago! Just relax, maybe they're too busy fighting a war with the Earth Alliance to worry about us?"

"I'm not so sure…" Carrus sighed, when a beacon flashed on his console, and his monitor lit up in a corner above his head. Peering into the corner, he heard a crackle of static, realising that he was staring at a portion of the ZAFT fleet. After a few moments of silence, there was a flash of light, and one of the ZAFT ships went up in a bright explosion that sent bits of debris soaring all over the atmosphere, alerting the other ships. "Hey… what the hell was that?"

"I don't know…" Brandon answered.

"Ensign Yamato!" The Captain of the carrier he had just let go of gruffly announced over his comm.

"Yeah, what is it?" Carrus answered.

"That explosion looks like it may have been an internal conflict, we can't detect any signs of any enemy Mobile Suits, so it can't be one of our teams or the Earth Alliance. It's probably a rebellion with GN Drive powered Mobile Suits, so do not pursue them."

"Internal? There's no way it could-" Before he could finish his sentence, Carrus felt a strong sensation, one that was very familiar to him. Realising what it was, his eyes flashed a golden tinge, and his pupils kept fluctuating as his Quantum Brainwaves explored, which seemed to come from the explosion in the distance. Almost shortly afterwards, he noticed flashes of dark red beams, as if the ZAFT forces were fighting something in the distance, when he noticed dark purple flashes from several points around the ZAFT fleet, followed by smaller explosions from destroyed Mobile Suits. "It's him!" Carrus cried out, jerking at the controls, flying toward the battle that just started.

"Carrus!" Brandon yelled as he flew away. Glaring at the battle, then back to Earth, he still saw no sign of the Archangel and the Eternal break atmosphere, making him more nervous, knowing he had to follow his comrade. "Why now of all times?" Pushing on his foot pedals, the Unicorn screeched to the debris belt, following Carrus closely behind.

* * *

Carrus sped through the debris, constantly shifting weight on the foot pedals as he darted around the wrecks of the ZAFT carriers which drifted through space, fresh scorch marks lay throughout their hulls. Carrus cringed, seeing many lifeless corpses drift through space, one he drifted past was clinging to an open wallet, huddling hopefully against a photo of loved ones. Carrus' face was grim, the scene was frightening, so many ships suddenly went up without warning, a truly eerie sight. "Come on… where are you?" He whispered into the darkness, quietly seething in his teeth as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

_**(M.N: Firelight, Kenji Kawai)**_

Then he saw it, in the distance, the dark red Mobile Armour that lay in the centre of the chaos, resting quietly amongst the silence. Carrus' eyes bulged, and he jammed forward, aiming a Beam Rifle at the Judgement's torso without thought. Raven lay in front of him, and looked like it was out of power. Firing a shot, the beam cut into space, and slammed into a flashing sphere that surrounded the Judgement. Carrus was shocked at the sight, letting out an exasperated gasp.

"Well, well! Yamato Junior!" Raven's voice jeered over the radio. Carrus watched with a glaring fixation as the Judgement sparked to life and spun to face Carrus, face to face. "You got here quickly! I'll admit, I thought ZAFT woulda kept you on Earth!"

"Raven!" Carrus yelled out.

"Steve?"

"Cut the crap, bastard!" Carrus snarled, angered at Raven's cheap crack.

"Well, if you're just gonna yell out my name like some prepubescent little kid with a lost toy, I'm not gonna take ya seriously…"

"Shut it! Was all this you're doing?" Carrus yelled out, pointing around him to signal to the wreck of ships. "Was all this destruction really necessary?"

"Yeah, well, I'm in no mood to discuss your ego, so what d'ya say we just call today a draw, what about you?" Raven smirked wittingly, as the Judgement began to fly away, still facing the Eternal Freedom.

"No! Not yet!" Carrus snarled, as the Freedom lurched forward, and his Dragoons launched from his wingtips. "You've got a lot to answer for! Why the hell did you do all this?"

"I haven't got time for you, now, lapdog." Raven frowned, losing his humouring lustre, sliding his consoles effortlessly, as the Eternal Freedom drew two Beam Sabres, and thrust at his left side, shifting away from both beams, and ending behind the Eternal Freedom which clumsily flew onwards.

Carrus snarled, looking behind him in frustration to keep his eye on the Judgement Gundam. "What was that?"

"They were enemies, mine and yours." Raven answered with a bored tone, gradually stretching his sadistic grin across his face as he continued speaking, as the Judgement glided around tauntingly. "If you had the opportunity, you'd be doing the same!"

"Shut up! I'd never do this!" Carrus roared, firing his Impulse cannon at the Judgement, as his Dragoons snapped into position around Raven, and fired simultaneous beams dead on target.

Raven smirked, calmly turning on his GN Field, which absorbed the full impact of Carrus' attack. Seeing this, all Carrus could do was gaze in fright at the juggernaut in front of him. "You're a soldier, aren't you? Maybe you're one of Casval's little improvised Innovator projects? Or are you just another pawn of that peacenik father of yours? Either way, you're still a lapdog."

"Lap… dog?"

"What, you want me to repeat myself three times?" Raven sniggered, when a bright clear beam with a red centre smashed into his GN Field, almost shorting it out in one shot. "The fuck?"

_**(M.N: Mad-Nug, Hiroyuki Sawano)**_

"Carrus!" Brandon called out, as the Unicorn approached, Beam Magnum drawn, the Unicorn drawing one of its wrist mounted Beam Sabres.

"No! Brandon! Get back!" Carrus yelled, as the Judgement flew into the Eternal Freedom, knocking Carrus into the bridge of a demolished Nazca class. "Damn it! No!"

"Well, well?" Raven smirked. "You brought a buddy with some super weapon equipped?" The Judgement readied it's Devine Beam Claymores in the sidearms, as they flashed to life and readied the beams as he flew to the Unicorn. "Now this is an interesting turn of events! FLY FANGS!" At that, the Sidearms and the backpack revealed several hatches, and the legs of the Judgement opened several compartments.

Brandon winced, as dozens of small and large bladed objects dashed out of the Judgement, flinging themselves at the Unicorn, firing beam after beam at him. Raising his shield, the Unicorn flew into the beams, which diverged and flew away from the shield, striking the debris behind the Unicorn Gundam.

"Say WHAT?" Raven exclaimed seeing the unusual defensive weapon.

"Have some of this!" Brandon roared, lowering the shield as he approached the Judgement, catching both Beam Claymores with his Beam Sabre, pushing them over his head, and jamming his Shield and Beam Magnum into the shoulder of the Judgement. Pulling the trigger, the Beam Magnum roared, and fired a shot that tore a large chunk of the shoulder off from the Judgement.

"Damn it!" Raven snarled, the Judgement being thrown from the force. "Shadow?"

Shadow appeared on a small terminal just beside the bottom of the spherical cockpit surrounded with cameras, "Unexpected development, suggest retreat!"

"What? We still have both GN Drives Shadow! We can take this kid!"

"HE'S not the development I'm talking about." Shadow answered, floating through the cockpit and pointing toward Earth. Raven glanced toward Shadow, and noticed the Archangel and Eternal had launched into space, leading the way was the Strike Freedom, flying between both ships with the ZZ and Wing Zero.

"Humph, well, how about that? Well, weird and wonder pilot of your strange machine!" Raven laughed at Brandon, who looked at his monitor in surprise at Raven's tone. "It looks like I'm out of time again! So farewell, and to you too, Yamato Junior!"

"What?" Brandon yelped.

"You COWARD!" Carrus snarled, bursting from the debris, full force, and swinging toward the Judgement, when what was left began to glow a deep red. Carrus swung, and as his Beam Sabre cut through the Judgement, it faded into a flash of silver particles, disappearing from sight. Carrus roared in frustration, letting go of the console, and slamming his fist into his monitor in front of him, cracking the screen with ease. "That BASTARD! He ran AGAIN?" Carrus was snarling fiercely, like a caged tiger, and pounding at his screen relentlessly. With every yell. "THAT! DAMN! COWARD!"

"Carrus…" Brandon whispered over the intercom to him, feeling guilty that he couldn't finish Raven off.

"WHAT?" Carrus roared, making Brandon wince from the volume on his speakers.

"You're clearly tired… we both are… we should return…"

"No… not… yet…" Carrus said panting, his knuckles bleeding under his the tears in his pilot suit from the glass shards that now dug into his hands.

"Carrus…"

"Carrus, please come back". Carrus looked up in surprise, looking to his side to see the Strike Freedom put its hand on his Mobile Suit's shoulder. Kira's face then appeared on another screen, as he smiled at Carrus. "That looked like quite the ordeal. A rest is well deserved, not to mention Mayu is worried about you."

"Kira…" Carrus whispered. "…Okay… I'll come back…" He eventually answered, turning his Gundam towards the Eternal, followed closely by Kira.

_**(Closing: I'll Be Your Home, Rin Oikawa)**_

* * *

_**A Note From The Author**_

_****_Hey guys, it's been a while since I updated.

I've actually had a few chapters settling in dust for a couple of months now, but got distracted with various bits and bobs. Also, I've been doing some edits of previous chapters to account for the new format that you saw, mostly including the datelines that you saw. This not only gives an accurate time frame for you guys, but it helps me plan when things happen accurately.

So yeah, previous chapters will be updated, and may even go back and adjust the prologue, seeing as how my writing's adapted over the years and it does sound tacky when I go back and look at it.

Peace!

~Vaxercon


	32. Re: Home

**Chapter Thirty-One: Re: Home**

_**(Opening: Ash Like Snow, The Brilliant Green)**_

**T.S.A Eternal Med Bay, 1915, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

"What on earth did you do to your hands?" Lacus sighed, picking glass shards out of Carrus' knuckles with a pair of tweezers. All Carrus could do was chuckle awkwardly in response, not able to answer his mother at all. "Honestly… your father never had tantrums like this…"

"Not as far as you know, mother!" Carrus answered.

"Oy! Enough with the cheek!" Lacus grumbled, smacking Carrus with a roll of bandages. Carrus sniggered, poking out his tongue to Lacus. Watching from the other end of the room was Kira and Athrun. Kira couldn't help but chuckle whenever Carrus did.

Athrun grumbled seeing this new side of Carrus, almost sighing with every breath. "He's a completely different person around Lacus, figures."

"He's just a great big momma's boy…" Kira chuckled. "He got that from someone else I know!"

"Har, har." Athrun answered sarcastically, slapping his face, knowing Kira was referring to himself. It was true, Athrun always did prefer his mother, mostly for obvious reasons. "He's got your stubbornness though, deal with it."

Kira grinned with a teasing look, sneering at Athrun. "You mean YOUR stubbornness?"

"I swear!" Athrun exclaimed. "When did you become such the joker? You were never like this when we were kids! OR before you married Lacus for that matter!" Widening his eyes with realisation, Athrun slowly glanced at Lacus, wondering what it is she had done to change Kira so. "You don't mean…!"

A sudden knock on the door of the med bay caught their attention, and the door slid open as Lunamaria wandered in to the med bay, gazing at Athrun. "Heya Ath."

"Lunamaria…" Athrun grumbled. "I told you not to CALL me that…"

"That'll be ten dollars, please!" Lunamaria chuckled at Kira, who begrudgingly pulled a note from his pocket, making Athrun furious.

"Do I want to know?" Athrun grumbled to Kira.

Kira chuckled a little, as he opened his mouth wittingly. "I'm pretty sure Luna has something to say, Ath."

"Oh no… NOT you too!" Athrun exclaimed, receiving giggles from Lacus. "Lacus, that is NOT sticking!"

"Okay Uncle Ath!" Carrus grinned.

"ADMIRAL ATH!" Athrun snarled with authority and a straight face, which only served to make Carrus, Kira, Lacus and Lunamaria roar even harder with laughter. "What? What did I say?"

"Oh… NOTHING Admiral Ath!" Lunamaria sniggered, making Athrun's face widen in shock and horror as he realised what he had said. "Hey, chill out! I just wanted to say that we've gotten in contact with Junk Guild despite all that bother earlier!"

"What?" Athrun replied as he regained his composure. "Oh, yes. Okay, thank you Lunamaria…" Athrun gave a light cough, walking out of the room without a word.

As the room settled down, and Lacus finished off Carrus' right hand, he held down on the loose bandage as Lacus taped it down. "Uhhh… Junk Guild?" He asked Lunamaria who was still standing by the doorway. She looked different now she had removed her helmet to how Carrus remembered her. She now stood by, her hair had now grown to just above her shoulders, giving her a more motherly look compared to the tomboy look she had when Mayu was a baby. "Why are we going there?"

"Oh right!" Lunamaria chuckled. "You were getting your hands stitched back up! We're heading to Junk Guild's base on a nearby asteroid to get those hard to find parts we seem to run out of all the time!"

Carrus looked to the ceiling with a baffled look as he tried to make sense of the situation. "But… they're scavengers… aren't they?"

"Not entirely true." Kira interrupted. "Junk Guild do scavenge for parts both in wrecked colonies and deep space, but they're also merchants, and have a lot of close dealings with the Orb Alliance. Officially, they're recognised these days as a neutral nation, with a small population within the asteroid colony, Re: Home."

"They've mined out three asteroids hollow, and connected them with access tunnels and turned the entire complex into a small, well-resourced facility." Lacus continued, wrapping Carrus' left hand. "The asteroids contain living quarters, ship hangers, even a military grade manufactory for repairs and scrap purposes."

"Wow… you all know a lot about these guys!" Carrus beamed, surprised at his parents and Lunamaria's knowledge.

"Well, they ARE connected to Project Lambda!" Lunamaria chuckled. Silence fell on the room. Looking at Carrus, Lunamaria gasped to see a clueless expression on his face. "…You… DO know about Project Lambda… right?"

"Bwah?" Carrus answered with a gaping mouth.

"We'll explain the details when we're safely aboard Re: Home." Kira answered, making Carrus curious. "So, Luna?"

Lunamaria answered as innocently as she could make herself look. "Yeah?"

"SHUT UP."

* * *

**T.S.A Eternal, Mayu Hawke's Room, 2120, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO YOUR HANDS?" Mayu screeched clasping Carrus' palms with over exaggerated tears in her eyes.

"Well…?" Carrus answered nervously and with a light chuckle. "I… kinda got slammed into the console… hand… first?"

"You mean got pissed because Raven's a douche?" Mayu answered instantly.

"You know me so well!" Carrus chuckled.

Mayu sighed hearing Carrus' quick response, upset at Carrus' stubbornness. "Carrus… honestly… what is it with you and getting so serious on the battlefield?"

"What… do you mean?" Carrus asked, blinking uneasily. "If you don't get serious, you end up dying."

"That's not what I mean…" Mayu paused, trying to rephrase her words carefully. "I mean… it seems lately you seem to become… I don't know… a completely different person whenever you get into a Mobile Suit. You know, usually you're either quiet, or laughing with friends and family, but the moment a battle starts, you always get so hyped up that its… kind of scary…"

"Scary?"

Mayu gasped, and clapped her hands together happily. "You're like a werewolf!"

"Don't compare me to some mythical monster!" Carrus yelped, waving his arms furiously.

"Sorry… sorry!" Mayu chuckled nervously. Suddenly an announcement caught the couple's attention, as Meyrin Hawke's face appeared on the terminal by the door.

"All hands, prepare for docking. Re: Home is in sight. I repeat, Re: Home is in sight. All hands, proceed to your duties. Kira and Lacus Yamato to the bridge, Kira and Lacus Yamato to the bridge. That is all, out." As she finished, the system blacked out, and Mayu sighed at the sound.

"Poop. No time to jump your bones…"

"What?" Carrus squeaked.

"I'm just saying! I've gone without you for almost a fortnight! I'd like a little time to get some!"

Carrus' eye twitched the moment he realised what Mayu was implying. "Yeah, and the moment your pants come off… wait! What am I saying! How can we even do it when I can't even grab on to anything?"

"Duh." Mayu grumbled, almost as if it was obvious. "I do all the work this time and you just lay back and take it."

Carrus sat still, completely mind blown at Mayu's lewd comments, almost forgetting this side of her. "Geez… One time and you speak like some kind of sex deviant!"

"Oh, like you don't want it, either!" Mayu grouched as she opened her door, and walked Carrus down the hall.

"… I do like it when we GET that intimate…" Carrus chuckled.

"And I just love your-"

"Ahem." Coughed Shinn, who had seemingly appeared right behind Mayu and Carrus, making the pair yelp in shock as he stood by with an evil glare. His right arm was strapped in a foam sling and fastened against his chest. "I hope that you weren't going to end that sentence with something I might find inappropriate, daughter of mine?"

"Wow… formal much?" Carrus grumbled under his breath.

"Uhhhmmm… hair?" Mayu stammered after a few moments.

Shinn stood by for a few moments, watching the pair like a hawk stalking a mouse from above its head. Slowly, he walked past Carrus, whispering in his ear as he passed. "You do go there with me around? And I'll fire you out of one of the missile tubes in your sleep toward the PLANT's for ZAFT's target practice, do I make myself clear?"

"YESSIR!" Carrus yelped, his voice cracking as he stood up straight. Shinn stood by for a moment, eventually walking onward past the pair, who had now both turned into nervous wrecks. "Your dad… is one scary… son of a bitch…"

"Oh… Daddy… Doesn't he know I have needs?" Mayu grumbled.

"It's YOUR needs that get us in trouble!" Carrus exclaimed.

* * *

**RE: Home, Main Ship Dock, 2200, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

The Archangel slowed into port first, creeping toward the back of the surprisingly large hanger. Once it eased into position, a series of large clamps locked down onto the ship, the Eternal following suit shortly afterwards. Once both ships had settled into position, the hanger doors locked down with several thick steel plated doors at the entrance, and a group of roughly dressed mechanics ran out once the room was pressurised. The hangar door of the Eternal lowered, and Kira strode out, followed by Carrus and Mayu.

"Say, Kira." Carrus called out as the mechanics rushed inside without smiles and laughter. "How do we know these guys aren't going to ravage our machines?"

"Not one to trust people, are you son?" Kira chuckled.

"Well, they are scavengers…"

Mayu giggled a little, beaming at Carrus who held her hand gently. "I'm sure they won't do anything to your Freedom! Why, you hide some naughty pictures or something inside?"

"Wha? I never!" Carrus yelped, looking at Mayu with a shocked look, hearing a mild laugh from Kira. Kira stopped laughing, when he saw man walk toward him with a sturdy build, chestnut brown hair and a heavy limp in his left leg. Kira smiled, and waved his arms at the man.

"Lowe! There you are!"

The man laughed, raising his hand for a firm handshake with Kira. "Kira Yamato! Ya crazy son of a bitch! What'd you do to warrant coming here so soon after your last visit?" Kira and the man grabbed each other's forearms firmly, shaking them in a decisive and friendly manner. The man looked behind Kira, catching Carrus in his gaze, almost gobsmacked at the youth's resemblance to Kira. "Whoa! And when you get a clone! You gotta set me up!"

"Oh, of course!" Kira turned to face Carrus and Mayu, raising his arm to his friend. "Carrus, Mayu, this is Lowe Gear, an old war buddy of mine, and the greatest mechanic with scrap you'll ever see. And he's not too bad in a Mobile Suit, either. Lowe, this is my son and his fiancée."

Carrus and Mayu burst, absolutely taken by surprise at Kira's joke. "FIANCEE?"

"Sounds too early to call it that Yamato!" Lowe roared, walking towards Carrus, slapping him on the back firmly, making Carrus stagger at the force. "Good to finally meet you, kiddo! I've heard a lot about you from both of your parents!"

"Oh… think you, mister Gear!" Carrus chuckled nervously, shooting Kira an evil glare as he chuckled away.

"Kid, this is my base here, so you call me Lowe at all times, you got that?" Lowe answered with a cheeky grin, moving his face right into Mayu's, that made Mayu smile nervously at him.

"It's… a pleasure to meet you… Lowe… sir!" Mayu nervously chuckled.

Lowe suddenly had a look of disappointment, moving away from Mayu, as he scratched his chin. "Pah! These kids are too well mannered!" Soon, a unique red Mobile Suit stomped toward the hanger of the Eternal, catching Carrus and Mayu's attention.

It was an odd Mobile Suit, seeming to resemble a Gundam with its wide torso, even if it was pointed out either end, but the head piece was beastly, shaped similarly to a Gundam, but losing the v-shaped fins, and adopting a tall curved head unit that arched to the front with a silver piece in the centre that housed two blue eyes. What was particularly odd was the oversized right arm, which was eye-catching and bright silver, with five large clawed fingers and had a thick red core in the palm claw. The left arm was much thinner, with a pair of beam Gatling units on either end, just beside the hand.

From the centre of the torso, a hatch opened, and Carrus saw inside was a pilot who leaned out, still wearing a helmet. "Hey Lowe!" The pilot called out, a young woman, about Carrus' age. "Where do you need me?"

"Hey Emily!" Lowe called in response. "I need you to drag the Harute out, that's the bright orange one! It should be in the Archangel!"

"Whoa… what IS that?" Carrus laughed, looking at the Mobile Suit longingly. The Mobile Suit kneeled down, and the girl looked at him, taking off her helmet, revealing dark red hair that dropped to her shoulders, and a beautiful, streamlined face with deep, dark blue eyes. Just looking at her made Mayu blush and slightly flustered, as she looked at Carrus with a nervous look. "That… has to be… the weirdest and coolest Suit I've ever seen!"

Emily leaped down, wearing a tight red pilot suit with grey foaming across the arms, shoulders and ribs. Mayu looked over her with disgust; she was much more proportionate than she was, making her quite upset. "You like it? My Guren is the first Mobile Suit ever designed and built solely by Junk Guild!" Emily boasted with a flirtatious smile.

"Do I what!" Carrus laughed, taking Mayu by surprise. "Seriously! I mean that arm's kinda weird, but it's gotta house some kind of new weapon, right?" Mayu watched Carrus as he ran to the legs of the Guren, looking it over with envy. She felt like she was being shown up by this girl who just appeared.

"Hey! You're pretty smart!" Emily laughed as she walked toward Carrus.

"Whoop, looks like someone's got competition!" Mayu blushed, looking over her shoulder to see Lowe relaxingly laugh with his arms stretching behind his head.

"Mayu, I think you should keep an eye out for her! She has Carrus by the heartstrings!" Kira jokingly sniggered, making Mayu flustered and up tight.

"No I! SHUT UP!" She exclaimed, making Kira and Lowe laugh.

While Mayu was yelping, Carrus never noticed, and was feeling the right arm as Emily stood behind him with a slight smile. "That's the Radiant Wave Surger; it's a unique tool of sorts that forcibly fires a pulse of concentrated heat into an object. Great for ripping off those tough to get to bits of scrap. We've even found a way to condense it into a beam if we come across raiders in deeper space!"

"It really is something else… an actual melee weapon that doubles as a long range cannon without any transformation! What are the controls on this… Guren like?"

"Wanna see?" Emily giggled, making Carrus look at her with a childlike glee.

"Can I?" Carrus exclaimed. Emily laughed, and leaped into the cockpit from the ground, scooping Carrus up with the claw on the right arm, and began to run toward the Archangel, while moving the arm to the cockpit so Carrus could climb inside. "Whoa!" Carrus beamed at the consoles, everything was neatly laid out inside, the terminals were all holographic and scattered throughout the lower end, next to the two joysticks. There were no foot panels, the design was incredibly different compared to the machines Carrus had already seen, even if this machine didn't have a three sixty degree camera system like the Eternal Freedom. "This is amazing! The technology is nuts!"

Emily let out a sudden cry of surprise hearing Carrus' reaction. "What? We got these panels from your guys! How come you've never seen these before?"

"Let me guess…" Carrus replied, turning a little more serious. "From 'Project Lambda'?"

"I wasn't given those details…" Emily replied, as she turned around the corner, and ran into the hanger of the Archangel. "All I was told was about how Orb gave us the cockpit units. We got them a few months ago to use ourselves… Lowe was the one who received everything."

"Huh… no kidding?" Carrus answered.

"Something wrong…?" Emily then blinked, as she realised something important. "Oh right, I never got your name!"

"Oh yeah!" Carrus yelped, slapping his forehead. "I'm Carrus, Carrus Yamato."

"What?" Emily exclaimed, blushing profusely. "As in Sir Kira's son? Oh geez! I'm sorry sir!"

"Sir?" Carrus answered with a blank stare and a couple of blinks. "What's with that? Just call me Carrus! I'm way too young for that!"

"Oh… really? Sorry… I guess it's a force of habit…" Emily nervously replied, looking away from Carrus in embarrassment. "I'm just so used to Addressing Sir Kira so…"

"Wait… SIR Kira?" Carrus answered, completely baffled.

"He… kinda saved me a few years ago… I was probably about ten years old…" Emily began to explain, looking toward her monitor as she found the busted heap that was the Harute Gundam, and scooped the Guren's arms underneath to pick the unit up. "I was living in Japan at the time, when our town was attacked by a bandit raid, they were using some of those old Strike Daggers that were used by the Earth Alliance twenty years ago."

"Lemme guess…" Carrus sighed, looking away from Emily, who had begun to walk the Guren out of the hanger, and toward a set of massive steel doors at the back of the port. "My old man just appeared in his Strike Freedom during the battle and saved the town?"

"…Not at first…" Emily breathed.

"Huh?"

"The raiders were initially driven off by the Earth Alliance, but they had taken over the town in a 'peacekeeping effort' they kept saying, but they were just a bunch of thugs. It wasn't bad enough that my parents and brother were killed in the initial raids… but… then these guards we had started treating the people like we were just a whole bunch of recruits waiting to happen. They drafted all the young people who were old enough to be soldiers until no one but the elderly and the kids were left. I tried to stand up to them when a girl who was looking after me was taken away, but when the soldier pushed me away, and threatened me with a gun to my heart… he appeared."

"…You mean Kira…" Carrus grimly answered, looking away with a sombre tone.

"He said he was just touring the town when he heard raiders had come through, but he beat down the soldier without any effort. When his friends showed up, Sir Kira beat them too, and said to them that they were acting not as soldiers, but as dictators, and to leave the town for good. He then freed those who were drafted before they were shipped off, and took everyone to Orb aboard the Archangel! Ever since, I've been calling him Sir Kira, cause he was just like my knight that day… don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know." Carrus answered honestly.

"Huh?"

"…Never mind…"

Emily was quiet for a while, eventually getting the courage to speak to Carrus. "You've… had a rough life with him, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I won't ask… if you want…?"

"Thanks… miss uh?"

Emily giggled hearing Carrus be so formal toward her. She looked up with a slight blush, and answered softly. "It's Emily, Emily Kozuki."


	33. Mending Suits and Relationships

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Mending Suits and Relationships**

**T.S.A Eternal Hanger Bay, 2230, June 27****th****, C.E 97**

"Where. The. HELL. DID. HE. GO?" Mayu snarled, as she scanned the terrain of Re: Home, trying to spot any sign of the Mobile Suit that took Carrus away. "That grubby bitch! I'll teach her to steal my man from me!"

"Oh… I wouldn't worry about Emily!" Kira chuckled from behind Mayu, keeping a cool composure. "She's a good girl who wouldn't make a move on anyone!"

Mayu spun around, and began to bark at Kira while leaning into his face, frightening him a little. "How sure of that would you be! She's gorgeous! And it's not like Carrus wouldn't notice something like that!" She began to shiver a little, partly from thinking about Carrus cheating on her, but mostly because she was seething at Emily. "If I EVER catch that boy take even ONE sideways glance at her… Oh who am I kidding! They could've gone all the way by now! EEK! I have to find them!"

Lunamaria and Shinn began to approach from behind, noticing Mayu fidget with herself, while Kira just watched awkwardly. As they neared, Kira turned, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness! There you are Shinn and Luna!"

Shinn looked at Mayu with a raised eyebrow as she began murmuring to herself. "What the hell's up with Mayu?"

"Oh… a pretty young girl in a new Mobile Suit just came along and took Carrus away to show her the cockpit!" Kira answered while scratching his head. Lunamaria gasped at the thought of what Kira described, while Shinn smirked.

"Hey, not my problem if he's got a new girl." Shinn sneered with closed eyes, earning him a slap on the back of the head from Lunamaria. "OWW!"

"Oh sweetie!" Lunamaria cried, grasping Mayu by the shoulders. "Don't worry! I'll grab the Justice, and we can go and look for Carrus in that, okay?"

"Mom! It was horrible!" Mayu sniffed, making Shinn roll his eyes. "She came along, and Carrus just went with her so willingly!"

"Don't worry! If we find him, I promise, you can use the Justice to fry his cheating butt, okay?" Lunamaria grinned, with a slight eerie aura around her. Kira yelped once he heard what Lunamaria suggested.

"HEH?"

"Kira, please don't get in the way because your son's a pompous so and so who hurts my little girl's heart." Lunamaria announced with a dead pan face. Walking Mayu inside, who had gone from a nervous wreck, and transformed into a sniggering hyena with squinting eyes.

"Oohhh… he's SO gonna get it…" Mayu sneered as she tapped her fingers evilly, walking into the hanger with her mother.

Kira was furiously dropping beads of sweat from his face thinking about what was happening, as he watched Mayu and Lunamaria climb into the cockpit of the Infinite Justice, and begin to take off. "Shinn… Carrus isn't gonna survive, is he?"

"He's not my son, remember?" Shinn snorted as the Justice passed over their heads. But he began to chuckle as they flew over the Archangel. "But yeah, Mayu's gonna kill him!"

"He didn't even do anything!" Kira whined sadly, eventually running back into the hanger to see about taking the Strike Freedom out.

* * *

**RE: Home, Central Mobile Suit Manufactory, 0015, June 28****th****, C.E 97**

Carrus leaped out on to the steep hill that looked over where the Mobile Suits had gathered. He watched below, seeing the now familiar figure of Kayos dictate to the mechanics how his Gale Strike was to be refitted. He chuckled as he heard some of his rants, only assuming that Twi had now appeared, seeing a small figure leap over Kayos, making him flail furiously. "Oh man… that looks like fun! I shoulda figured Kayos would be the bossy type!"

Emily sat down underneath her parked Guren while she grabbed a sandwich from her lunchbox. "Sounds like you've got an odd bunch of friends…"

"Suppose so, I should've known that'd happen though."

"How come?"

"I'm the one they're teamed with!"

Emily laughed, slowly taking a bite from her sandwich. Chewing thoroughly, she swallowed and opened her mouth, offering a sandwich to Carrus. "Well, you've got your father's humour at least!"

"His… humour… huh?" Carrus asked, quietly taking a sandwich with a slight smile.

"Yeah… surprised me too when he let go and started telling corny jokes and poking fun at some of the crew…" She answered, taking another bite into her sandwich. "I always heard these tales of how he was always quiet and conceited during the war, but during peacetime, he ended up becoming quite… happy. Wonder why, seeing as how you never saw him for most of your life…"

"I don't know either…" Carrus answered. "Mother told me that once a year he'd always visit the PLANT's to come see her and my sister…"

"Huh? Then where were you?"

"I don't remember. It wasn't until I was about six when I went to live in Orb. Every now and then mother would come and visit, but I always refused my father's invitation in the early years, eventually I stopped getting them. I figured he got the message… I… kinda grew to hate him because he was never around."

"Is that why you moved to Orb?" Emily asked, seeing Carrus struggle with recounting his past to a stranger.

"Suppose it is… all I remember is I demanded to mother that I wanted to go and live in Orb. I was only six, but already demonstrated I was several grades ahead of everyone else, just part of being Kira Yamato's son I guess." Carrus sighed a little, and took a great big bite into his own sandwich, swallowing it all in one effort. "Then again, my sister was the same, but she never wanted to speed ahead, she always took her time throughout school. I just wanted to prove myself though… Who knows, maybe I was just trying to be strong in my own way?"

"Wow." Emily answered with a straight face. She paused for a little while as a convoy of trucks arrived at the Mobile Suits below. "You sounded like a little brat!"

"Hey! Shut up!" Carrus laughed, slapping Emily on the arm, who laughed, falling into Carrus' shoulder with a blush. Carrus froze for a moment, suddenly catching on to Emily's intentions, and blushing profusely as he realised. "Uhm… Emily… listen…"

"Hey… you don't need to say much…" Emily whispered nestling against Carrus' side.

"Uh, I do… I'm seeing someone."

"OH!" Emily yelped, sitting up straight with a bright red face. "Sorry! I really didn't know! You just seemed so-"

"Huh? So what?" Carrus answered with a blank stare, his face glowing deep red as he scratched at the back of his neck nervously. Suddenly, the loud roar of thrusters rocked Carrus and Emily from behind, and Carrus looked up, surprised to see the Infinite Justice looming overhead, and glaring down at him.

"CARRUS YAMATO!" Mayu's high pitched squeal echoed out of the Infinite Justice, and booming down the valley, even reaching into the manufactory.

* * *

Twi and Kayos looked up from below, awkwardly looking to the scene at the top of the hill, when Kayos looked back to Twi with a grim face. "Somehow… someway… I KNOW you had something to do with this Twi." Kayos grumbled.

"He didn't find my stash of donuts, I know that much!" Twi giggled, poking his tongue out slightly.

"WHAT stash?" Kayos yelped. "We've only aboard this ship for maybe half a day! And most of that time was spent in space!"

"EXACTLY." Twi sniggered, making Kayos slap himself in the face.

* * *

"Mayu!" Carrus growled. "What the heck are you doing in there?"

"Oh, I dunno YOU CHEATING JERK!" Mayu replied angrily, as the Beam Rifle from the Justice aimed down at Carrus. "Maybe it has something to do with you running off with boobalicious there!"

Emily looked at the Infinite Justice, confused at such a sudden nickname. "Boob… alicious?"

"What?" Carrus blankly replied, his face suddenly turning into a scowl. "Look! She hit on me, but I told her I was seeing you and she backed right off! Now get outta that machine before your mom catches you!"

"Argh! I told you Mayu!" Carrus jerked, now hearing Lunamaria's voice from the speakers. "I TOLD you he was a good boy! But nooooooooo… you wouldn't listen to me!"

"What? You're the one who told me to find him and 'fry his cheating butt', MOTHER!" Mayu squealed in retaliation.

"Oh… you've GOT to be kidding me…" Carrus grumbled, whacking his face repeatedly with his palm.

"Uhh… your girlfriend and her mother?" Emily asked with a nervous laugh, leaning out from behind the Guren.

"I'm just glad her dad isn't in there!" Carrus yelped, his voice cracked at the thought of Shinn's threat earlier. "Believe me when he says, hating my guts isn't enough for him!"

"Hon!" Carrus looked back up, to see the Infinite Justice land, and Mayu struggle to get down from the cockpit, as she tried to climb down from the hatch panel onto the kneeling leg. "Sorry! I didn't mean to mistrust you!"

"You idiot!" Carrus yelped. "Use the cable in the hatch to get down! You'll break your neck doing that!"

"Huh?" Mayu answered blankly, eventually spotting the handle curled up in the hatch door. "Oh right! Guess it's been a while since I went into a Mobile Suit, huh?"

"Un, freaking, believable. You couldn't just go about things normally, can you?" Carrus was grumbling, as he walked over to Mayu, who had finally found the cable in the hatch.

Mayu fumbled around with the cable, finally getting her foot through the triangle that hung on the end. Grasping it, she dropped down off the Justice's chest and slid down to the ground. "Where's the fun in being 'normal' anyway? Don't you want a girlfriend who's just slightly out there?"

"I'd much rather skip the 'slightly out there', thank you…"

* * *

**L4 Mendel Colony, Outer Rim, 0500, June 28****th****, C.E 97**

"Well. Here we are, huh?" Raven bemused to his console, holding a bottle of water in his hand, and taking a long sip from the straw that sat on the top, sucking in large amounts of water as he looked at his target. The L4 Colony, a place long abandoned from its original purpose. The Judgement floated just beyond the outer gate, his senses still flicking all around him, sensing for any pursuers that may have followed him from the ZAFT fleet. "You sure we should camp out here?"

"Without a doubt." Shadow's blank voice answered, as his holographic projection flickered on top of the left side of the console. "Right now, we need to focus on repairing the Judgement. Flying around for someone to give us resources and space, isn't the best of ideas."

"You DON'T say?" Raven sarcastically replied with a sly gleam in his eye. The Judgement slowly eased into the large hanger, setting down on the chrome floor. The Judgement turned its head all around, as Raven looked at his immediate surroundings. "Curious… I'd say the Three Ship Alliance haven't been here recently… why didn't they destroy this place?"

"Pardon?" Shadow asked, his curiosity piqued at Raven's odd statement.

Raven grumbled, slightly bothered by Shadow's seemingly obvious statement. "Do I need to tell you? They've been here before. It's where Kira Yamato was born after all, not to mention it had the data from the Destiny plan, they've been here in the past. Shit, I'm surprised they kept this place intact!"

"Ah, now I understand your sentiments."

"Honestly, I wonder if you really were born from my mind sometimes…" Raven suddenly snapped his eyes wide, alerted by something, almost a tapping within his mind. Shadow caught on to this, tilting his head and flapping his wings, showing his curiosity.

"An Innovator?"

"No… at least, I don't think so…" Raven's brow furrowed, as he tried to decipher the odd sensation he felt. He checked his sensors, looked around the hanger. The feeling was alien to Raven, it was a long time since he felt so anxious at such an unknown presence. "Where is this son of a bitch?"

"Ah! Hello there!" A thick, Irish accented voice called out into Raven's speakers. Raven snapped to full alertness, tilting the Judgement down to look at a man. He stood in a dark grey spacesuit, Raven noticing a pair of wide rimmed glasses under his rectangular helmet. His gaze grew intent seeing this man, who had suddenly appeared. "I was wondering who was knocking on my door! What brings you here, young man?"

"Where did he come from?" Shadow announced his eyes folding, he was just as suspicious as Raven, the pair looking at the man in scepticism.

"Curious… an old man living in the Mendel Colony?" Raven smirked.

"Come down, my son!" The man called out, as he turned away, walking toward the hangar exit. "I was just about to sit down for a spot of tea!"

"I don't like this…" Shadow began to snarl, the spines on his neck standing on edge.

The man, with no cue turned his head and spoke once again, almost uncaring about Raven not responding yet. "Maybe we could broker a deal to get your suit repaired… and maybe get some more GN Drives?"

Raven raised an eyebrow, curiosity at an all-time high. "Shadow, take command of the Judgement."

"Excuse me?" Shadow responded, dumbstruck by Raven's sudden change in heart.

"I said take command. I'm checking out what this old fart has to say."

* * *

**L4 Mendel Colony, Living Quarters, 0513, June 28****th****, C.E 97**

Raven threw his black helmet into a corner, as the man took off his own helmet, revealing a neatly cut bob of silver hair on his head. The man turned toward Raven. He was old, easily in his sixties or seventies, and wore wide brimmed spectacles on his nose. Raven was curious, spotting a black collar under his space suit, with a white cloth at the centre of his throat.

"You're a priest."

"Why, yes I am, young man." The man answered with a jolly tone.

"I wasn't asking." Raven snapped, turning away, flicking his jet black hair out of his eyes.

"Of course not, Raven."

Raven's eyes snapped open as wide as they could, feeling his mind probed as the man spoke his name, finally catching on to his situation, drawing his sidearm quickly, the man had already waved his hands, drawing a pair of pistols, the pair aiming at each other in silence. "Well, how 'bout that, a mother fuckin' mind reader. Just great."

"Mind reader is such a pale term. I prefer, an old man who happens to practice with Quantum Brainwaves."

"An Innovator priest, huh?" Raven smirked. "The hell is going on that I end up meeting one of those?"

"One of the first Innovators." The man sneered. "I had been the one to pass on the idea to those scientists on Earth, after all. My name, young Raven, is Chicol."

"Wait, don't care about your name." Raven answered with an anxious look. "One of the… first… Innovators?"

"I've been experimenting with Quantum Brainwaves since long before you were born. Kept myself jumping from colony to colony for a long time."

"So how the hell can you read my mind?" Raven snapped, Chicol looking slightly amused as he slowly opened his eyes with a narrow grin. "Surely you can't do THAT…"

"Oh no, not normally, that is… providing you don't have Quantum Brainwaves and aren't guarding your thoughts… but on the other hand, more people possess Quantum Brainwaves than they believe…" The pair stood still for a long time, facing their weapons at each other in a deadly silence, trying to figure out their next move.

Suddenly, Raven laughed, throwing his head back in ecstasy and lowering his pistol, making Chicol's smile turn into a worried frown. "So! You know what I'm thinking, and you don't even gun me down! I'm impressed, old man! Why'd you keep me around?"

"I told you, I have ways of getting you GN Drives." Chicol answered with an unchanging expression.

"So that's it!" Raven snapped. "Tell me, why help me so freely? You know what I'm after?"

"I don't understand your reasons why…" Chicol paused, guarding himself, Raven had suddenly become an enigma, he was unable to read the young man any more. "But… I do know that you're after chaos… a new era… of sorts? A fresh look for humanity?"

Raven nodded with a smile, not out of acknowledgement, but of a quiet victory. "A reformation… of sorts. See, ZAFT and the Earth Alliance kind of have this war going on, I think you know about it. And I think that they've gone on long enough. I want it to end… and I think that killing a few billion people oughta sort them out."

"How generic." Chicol answered. "You don't agree with the war, so you seek the Human race's destruction? My boy, it seems you are quite childish."

"Oh come now…" Raven smirked. "Old man, surely you don't agree with this world as it is? Tell me, do you know what this place is?"

"I can't say I do." Chicol answered. "There isn't any documentation or much equipment left over here when I got here some months ago. All I know is this place was used as a lab for… some form of research."

"Genetic research, all to create the perfect human, ironically created by Naturals, in the form of a Coordinator." Raven sneered, with a narrow gaze in his unfeeling eyes. "Humanity creates the ultimate species, only craving shortly afterwards to be like them. An odd world, isn't it? We create people, only to have those people fight us later. We are all born with fingers, only so we can pull triggers. Why do we believe in such a warring existence?"

"Well… is that why you choose humanity as your enemy?"

"Humans are cowards and warmongers at the same time. I want to destroy that and build something from the ashes…"

Chicol quietly stood, looking at Raven with a strange gaze, he was clearly blocking his thoughts, Raven was learning quickly from the few moments he spent with Chicol. "I'm intrigued… let's call that the reason I wish to follow you."

"You need not explain more." Raven answered with a smile.

"Come, I have something I wish to show you." Chicol answered, chuckling. Raven smiled, giving off a sadistic grin as Chicol turned without a further word.


	34. Raven's Sword

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Raven's Sword**

**L4 Mendel Colony Core, 0520, June 28****th****, C.E 97**

_**(M.N: Declaration, Kenji Kawai)**_

Raven looked up in amazement, seeing the deepest recesses of the Mendel Colony. What was once a large central laboratory had been converted into a small Mobile Suit manufactory. Inside, were three Mobile Suits, one was a very pyramidal Mobile Suit with a pointed head and square camera unit, with a large Beam Cannon on its right arm and several missile launchers on its chest. The second was considerably larger, with a large frame and larger shoulder blades, each had four domes that looked like they could separate from the frame, and similar cannon to the first with a similar head unit to the first with a flat head. The third was a mastodon compared to the first two, armed with two dual Gatling units on the arms and several missile units throughout the frame. All three had a GN Drive firmly fixed into the back and weren't painted yet, remaining a dark metallic shade. Raven gave a low whistle, seeing the strange technology in such an unexpected manner, making Chicol smile.

"You're impressed, then?" Chicol chuckled.

"Quite." Raven answered. "How'd you make these?"

"Oh, I have my ways." Chicol responded with a wily smile. "Mostly tech either stolen from ZAFT, or scavenged from the Earth Forces. You'd be surprised how much you can get from a blackmailed politician."

"Some Priest." Raven smirked. "You've got some filthy work on your hands. So why do all this? The Earth Alliance or ZAFT would be VERY interested in all this…"

"I'm sure, but I figure if I could get some daring young revolutionary such as you to use them…"

"Ah, I see." Raven smirked. "Any reason why me?"

"It's true a new world is needed, though we do have different reasons for wanting this new world. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah… Guess so. Guess I need an army for this desire of mine."

"And how will you go about it?" Chicol asked with a grim frown. "Not many agree with your sentiments after all…"

"Hmm… I think I have a few ideas." Raven answered. "I may need an old friend first things first… And my Gundam repaired."

"You needn't explain more." Chicol smirked.

* * *

**T.S.A Archangel, Mobile Suit Hangar, 1045, June 30****th****, C.E 97**

"HEY! KID!"

"Huh?" Carrus snapped out of his daydream, when a solid smack on the back of his head caught his attention, snapping his attention toward Shinn.

"Get your head in the game! Kayo needs you at you're A-game to double check this design!" Shinn was frustrated at Carrus, not realising that Carrus was staring at a manual given to him from Kira.

"Sorry, this stuff on the Lambda Driver that my… that Kira gave me kind of has my direct attention." Carrus dropped his tablet, Shinn took note the complex diagrams and large blocks of text that lay on the screen. "There's a lot to this system than I thought… who knew that GN Particles were actually inserted into the Nuclear reactor to initiate this… I don't know… Trans-Am… like state?" Carrus staggered on the term, as he tried to make sense of the system."

"Geez… the Destiny doesn't have one, and I still know way more than you?" Shinn grumbled.

"Hey! You two!" Kayos roared from behind his Strike's remains. "Stop yapping! I've got a lot of data to hand over to the techies!"

"Sorry Kayo! Will get it done!" Carrus yelped, grabbing the OS draft from his pocket. "Well, here it is, the first OS draft I made!"

"On… paper?" Kayos stammered with a blank series of blinks.

"What? It helps me concentrate!"

"It's smudged!"

"Heh… blame Mayu and her grubby hands!"

"Psh. Women." Kayos snapped in disgust, earning a glare from Carrus.

"Tell me about it…" Shinn grumbled. "I can't help but wonder when the hell Luna's gonna get here and help out a little!"

"I'm sure both Mayu and Lunamaria both have a valid reason for not being here!" Carrus smiled, when his pocket began to vibrate. Looking down, Carrus reached in, and pulled out his thin silver phone, flipped it open and answered casually. "Carrus here."

"Hey, hot stuff!" A cherry voice rang out from the speaker. "Walk away for a moment?"

Placing his hand over the receiver, Carrus looked to Shinn and Kayos. "Sorry, I'll be a minute…" Carrus turned, and walked toward the hangar doors at the front of the ship. "Very funny, Kira."

Kira sniggered on the other end. "How far you get through the manual? I just wanted to see if you had any questions."

"Well, I'm confused if anything about the whole idea of it… and the… practical applications." Carrus commented as he stepped out of the hangar, making a surprised noise, when he saw a jeep just outside, with Kira in the back seat, and Athrun in the driver's seat with Mayu next to him, waving furiously at Carrus. Carrus sighed, flipping his phone back and slipping it into his pocket. "You're a real bastard, you know that? First you call me with Mayu's phone, then you show up with someone irresistible while talking about something I have to talk about?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Kira snickered. "Come on, we're taking a break."

"Really?" Carrus grumbled with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh quit with that look." Athrun laughed. "Just get in, Ensign Yamato."

"Aaaattthhhrrruuunnn…" Mayu whimpered. " You said you wouldn't pull rank on him!"

"I also said you should stop trying to sound cute with me, Mayu…" Athrun replied. "You're mother's not the best role model if she taught you to do that…"

"Hey! It works with you ALL the time you big softie!" Mayu giggled.

Carrus sighed, as he took a step inside the jeep. "Since when did you call him by his first name?"

"Since Mom told me to start bugging him!"

"…Is… it working?" Carrus asked, looking at Athrun with an exasperated look.

"No." Athrun replied. "I'm just on leave as far as I'm concerned, so I'm simply enjoying a drive with my godson's girlfriend. "

Carrus stepped inside, and Athrun began to drive away from the Archangel. As the ship grew farther away, Kira turned to Carrus, and smiled. "Where do we begin?"

* * *

**Atlantic Federation Base Tartarus, 1045, June 30****th****, C.E 97**

"That it?" Raven asked to his console.

"Yes." Shadow answered. "I've already probed the prisoner list, he's there."

"Who would've thought Casval would send Fon all the way out into a prison base in the middle of deep space?"

"Because that way ZAFT wouldn't think of finding an Extended like that out here." Shadow replied. "After all, given Fon has such a reason to give out information like it's some sort of game… All in all, I would never begin to understand his intentions."

"It makes the fight much more fun, don't you think?" Raven smirked, seeing a handful of old Strike Daggers circle the asteroid. "Wish that could happen here… those old piles of shit and bolts aren't going to last two seconds!"

"Well then, how about you just go inside and kill the guards on a level playing field?" Shadow remarked with a monotonous yawn. "I could take care of the boring part for you…?"

"Fine, fine…" Raven grumbled. "Just keep the Suit intact, got it?"

_**(M.N: Approach, Kenji Kawai)**_

"Naturally." Shadow answered, as he took control of the Judgement, and surged forward, launching all Fangs at the enemy, and sliced four Strike Daggers at range, while Raven propelled himself out of the cockpit, and toward the Mobile Suit hanger. He watched amusedly, seeing the guards watch him fly in, aim two pistols in front of him, and fire sixteen shots , making sixteen kills. As they realised what was happening, they turned, and fired at Raven, who darted against the floor, and rolled out of the way, taking cover behind some crates, quickly reloading.

"Take that guy out!" One of the guards yelled out, as two lobbed grenades behind the crates where Raven was hiding. The explosion let out a flash of flame and shrapnel, as Raven leaped over the crates with a smile, holding four pins in his fingers. The guards looked to their feet, noticing four grenades at their feet, exploding without delay, and taking the guards in a sea of flame and screams.

"Next!" Raven smirked, as he ran past the gates and into the facility. Flicking over his wrist, he looked at his wrist panel that brought up a map of the facility. Following it, he darted around corners and through corridors. As he ran, he followed the laid out path given to him by Shadow, the alarms failing to faze him. Eventually, after using all his ammunition on various guards throughout the base, he had grabbed a pair of rifles and spare magazines to accommodate his needs. Once he reached his objective, he stopped outside a solid door to a cell. Punching in a few keys on the keypad next to the door, opening the steel door.

"Dangerous move…" A shallow and dangerous voice growled from in the darkness. "How do you know I don't slit your throat and make my escape?"

"Cause that'd be cruel to do that to your own friend, Fon." Raven smirked, flicking a light on, revealing a scruffy, pale man in a thick strait jacket with thick blonde hair. His eyes were a deep red, and he wore a thick collar over his neck. "Fuck, you look like crap."

"Oh, you huh?" Fon smirked. "What up."

"How dull." Raven sniggered, unscrewing Fon's collar. "Your humour's gone downhill in the joint."

"What can I say?" Fon replied with a bored look. "They keep me in this cell for two years with a bomb around my neck. Don't get a chance for wit in here, after all."

Raven unstrapped the last of the straps on Fon's strait jacket, and stepped back, throwing a rifle to him. "There ya go."

Fon caught his new weapon with a chuckle, looking at the bloodstain on the magazine and on the butt. "Come on, spill it, why'd you come here?"

"Oh you know, murder and mayhem of humanity." Raven answered, as he reloaded his rifle. "Want in?"

"Not yet."

"Yet?"

Fon smirked for a moment, looking up at Raven. "I got a buddy I want to bust out. Best part is he's next door." As he loaded, he kicked against the wall. "Right? Buddy?"

"Damn…" A deep, growling voice slurred from the other side of the wall, as if stirring from hibernation. "And here I thought I could sleep through that racket…"

Raven raised an eyebrow, as he wandered around to the door to the adjoining cell, and opened it up. Inside, he noticed a man lying in the bed. His hair was long, ragged and a deep maroon, and wore a goatee under his lip and was covered in stubble everywhere else. He slowly stood up, easily a full head taller than Raven with thick arms clad in handcuffs. "You MUST be a Natural. Crap… I don't have time to babysit some weakling."

"What? Nah, he's WAY more dangerous than most Naturals." Fon laughed strolling outside of his cell, taking a deep breath. "After all, he's in a cell next to ME. He's gotta be a real badass to get that respect."

"Really?" Raven chuckled, looking at the large man, who simply chuckled and shoved past Raven.

"Thanks for the easy bust, kid." The man growled with gratitude, as he reached to a dead guard and took his armaments. "You ain't so bad by sounds of it."

"Say what?" Raven growled in return.

"Easy, Rave." Fon sniggered. "Ali here's good with whatever job you want to do."

"He's a Merc?" Raven snarled, making the man laugh.

"Usually, yeah. But for you, kiddo, I'm willing to help you on that little homicide spree you wanna start." The man cocked his weapon, and placed it casually against his shoulder. "The name's Ali Al Sacheez, and I'm a guy who takes pleasure in fighting. That's it."

"Fighting, huh?" Raven grumbled. "For what cause?"

Ali simply smirked at the idea of the word 'cause'. "Doesn't mean a thing."

"Sweet." Raven chuckled. "Okay, you're in. I've got a hunger to kill the human race, and I'm nominating you guys to help me out. So, you in?"

"Just lead the way, boss man." Ali replied, Fon simply gave a smirk, giving Raven his response.

Raven let out a wide grin, as he sneered at the thought of being another step closer to his objective. "Well then, let's go, kiddies, papa's after some EA scuzzballs for dinner, and he wants takeout."

"LAME." Fon smirked. "And you say MY humour's gotten bad."

"Fuck off, wise ass." Raven growled, as the three ran back toward the hangar. "Now shut up, get the first Mobile Suit you see, and let's clear off!" Flicking his fingers to his temple, Raven pressed against his head and began to communicate with Shadow through the neural links imprinted within his skull. "Shadow, I found him, and even a bonus. Get your ass in here!"

"And here I am, destroying the last Strike Dagger." Shadow answered in his usual tone. "You sure took your time."

"Unexpected chat. Got another follower." Raven smirked, shooting a guard who got in his way with a few rounds. "Now we just need two Mobile Suits for our new partners in slaughter."

"The main hanger has an Enact and a Jegan left over, better hurry, looks like they're really lighting the place up." Shadow announced, landing in the Hanger he just brought up.

"Ah, so I see." Raven chuckled, as he turned the corner. While he ran to the Judgement, Fon headed to the Jegan, and Ali launched himself toward the Enact. "How slow of you."

"You three are just nimble for humans." Shadow answered as Raven launched into the cockpit.

"Of course…" Raven sniggered, as Fon and Ali flew out the hanger doors, and Raven flew to the exit. "So, they have no more Mobile Suits Shadow?"

"There's even just enough power for a three second full burst from the Charged Particle Cannon." Shadow added, as Raven flew clear of the asteroid, and turned around without hesitation.

"Perfect!" Raven snarled happily. The Core of the Judgement opened again like it did at Panama, and began to charge as the GN Drives whirled into overdrive. Raven chuckled as the charging slowly accumulated, until it was ready. With a loud chortle, Raven pulled his trigger, and the Particle Cannon fired a wide beam that cut through the centre of the large Asteroid. Within two and a half seconds, the firing stopped, and the Judgement disengaged its PS Armour. "And we're done here. Now, we just need our army."

* * *

**RE: Home, Shopping District, 1110, June 30****th****, C.E 97**

"Wow!" Mayu was overwhelmed, leaning against a glass pane to a clothing store, behind it were three outfits for girls that had really caught her attention. "Whould've thought a store like this was here?"

"Come on…" Athrun chuckled, seeing Mayu's excitement. "You didn't think that such a thing wouldn't be in this Asteroid? It's practically a city in here."

Mayu laughed, spinning around to face Athrun. "Guess so! I'm gonna zip inside, okay?" With a nod from Athrun, Mayu squealed happily, and rushed inside. Athrun smiled as he walked inside slowly, leaving Kira and Carrus to chat, the pair leaning against the rear bumper of their jeep.

"She's grown into quite the girl, hasn't she?" Kira smiled. "She's definitely a Hawke like Luna and Meyrin."

"Kira…" Carrus grumbled under his breath, turning Kira's smile into a concerned frown. "I know you're trying to give me a break… but we've got a lot of work to do back on the ship… I just feel guilty that everyone's working while we're having 'fun' out here… Can't we go back and help them?"

"Why?" Kira asked, taking Carrus by surprise. "Shinn and Luna were here with Meyrin just yesterday… Your Commander Lamperouge was in town about an hour ago with mister Links and the Extended pair… Lotte and Kat?" Kira asked, trying to get their names right, looking to Carrus for confirmation, who nodded in acknowledgement. "Not to mention Merrue and Mu are coming out for dinner tonight, your mother's also going to meet us for lunch in a bit…"

"Wow. Whould've thought?" Carrus answered with a blink. "So… why drag me out here?"

"Athrun told me it was a major weakness for you." Kira answered, smiling. "When you were studying you always just did your work to do more study, but in a war like this, if you ever get a chance to get some rest, you should go out and explore somewhere completely different, it blows off steam." Carrus took a moment, absorbing the advice from his father with silent consideration. As he thought, Kira began to grow a sly smile over his face. "Speaking of 'blowing off' steam… have you had a chance to do that with Mayu?"

"Blowing off…?" Carrus began to question, when he suddenly realised what Kira was asking. "What? Why are you asking THAT you pervert!"

Kira laughed loudly at Carrus' response. "Your own father asks if you've been sexually active and you dismiss him as a pervert?"

"Of course I do you dirty old man!" Carrus yelped, glowing a deep shade of red.

"I also note you aren't denying it…" Kira sniggered.

Carrus blushed an even deeper shade, eventually looking away in embarrassment. "Shut up…"

"What's going on?" Mayu asked, popping her head out of the store with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, we're just discussing about you and Carrus!" Kira laughed, waving to Mayu, pushing Carrus toward the store door.

"Just don't ask about anything TOO personal mister Yamato!" Mayu giggled. She then straightened up, and turned to Carrus with a sweet smile. "Oh yeah! Also… Carrus, honey bunch? Could I ask for a SUPER big favour?"

"How expensive?" Carrus grumbled with an annoyed tone.

"Oh you can read me like a book! COME ON!" Mayu giggled, clasping Carrus' hand and dragging him inside the store.


End file.
